


April and Andy Drabble Mania

by CeruleanMisha



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: April and Andy have a house full of kids, Breastfeeding, Drabble Collection, F/M, Flufftober18, Future Family, Headcanon, Some Gratuitous Smut, Varied Ratings, sometimes AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-07-04 18:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 23,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15846702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeruleanMisha/pseuds/CeruleanMisha
Summary: An ongoing April and Andy drabble series. Ratings, themes, and the time line will vary by chapter (chapter titles will usually include the year or at least a general time frame). Drabbles may be canon, extended canon (my headcanon for the future), or AU (chapter summaries will give detail when necessary).  Word count anywhere from 100 to 2000 words.Ludgate-Dwyer centric, but other P&R characters, as well as NPCs, may show up from time to time.I am taking prompt requests in comments.Click here for to see my prompt table.Request one or two or five or ten, as many as you want! Feel free to request a specific situation/time frame/verse that I write. Most will be April/Andy, but other P&R characters, as well as OC, and my headcanon for future children may appear.





	1. One Fine Day (Prompt: Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April doesn't want to get out of bed. Andy knows a trick to make sure she gets up on time.

April never really woke up with the alarm. She growled at it, at Andy until he turned it off, then rolled over or snuggled down into the blankets for a few more minutes. Andy never pushed her to get up, even though he woke with the alarm. He usually just stayed there in the bed with her, his arm under her shoulders, his fingers turned in to drift and draw lines and circles against her skin where ever he could reach until she was ready to move.

Truthfully, this was her favorite time of day. Safe and warm in bed, the sun just starting to peek through the windows. Everything was peaceful and quiet, Andy's arms around her. There was nowhere else in the world she wanted to be. 

"C'mon babe," he murmured. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was about time to get up and get moving. They had a morning ritual, and sleeping too long put them behind. "You can either sleep," he said, leaning in to sneak a kiss on her lips, "or we can go have sex in the shower." 

April cracked one eye open. He always got her with that. How could she resist? She knew he knew she couldn't, and wouldn't. The shower was one of her favorite places to have sex. Something about the water cascading over his shoulders just really did it for her. 

She lifted her head and gave him a lopsided grin. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he pushed the covers back and freed his legs from the tangle. All but jumping to his feet, he held a hand out to her and she reached for him and allowed him to pull her to her feet and into his arms. Mouths crashed together in a hot kiss, and April moaned in spite of herself. 

She wondered if it would always be like this. She couldn't imagine ever getting tired of him. She loved him so much, and it seemed she loved him more and more with each passing day. She no longer remembered life without him.


	2. Winter 2018: I Can't Sleep (Prompt: Bed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Andy are staying at her parent's house, and sleeping in her old bed.

The bed moaned under Andy's weight. He was a big guy, slightly over 6 feet, and easily 250 lbs. He was built like a football player, and while one of his brothers had made a career out of playing ball, Andy lacked both the focus and the motivation to play seriously. He was good for throwing a ball around, but not much more than that.

Beside him in the creaky old bed, April let out a frustrated sigh. "Andy?" She put a hand on his arm and gave a slight shake. "Are you awake?" There was just enough ambient light from the street lamp outside the front window that he could see her bend her arm up under her head. "I can't sleep either," she whined.

"This bed is lumpy and makes my back hurt," Andy sighed. He didn't often complain. He'd never complain about the bed to April's parents. They were so happy April was staying with them for a few days and he wasn't about to say a single unkind word to anyone. 

April turned over, laying on her stomach, and halfway pressed up against him. Her hand moved to his chest, bare and clammy from sweat even though the overhead fan was whirling at full speed. Big and bulky as he was, Andy tended to sweat a lot. He was practically a human furnace, always warm, always sweating. 

"This was my bed, you know. Before I married you." She brought her leg up and over his, leaning fully against him so she could stretch up and kiss his lips. "I used to lay in this bed and think about you." She nipped his bottom lip, then lay her head on his chest. She loved that he was basically a huge teddy bear. When he held her in his arms, she felt warm and safe and invincible.

He lifted his head, but only for a few seconds. He couldn't really see in the dark, and holding his head up strained his neck. He felt a droplet of sweat travel from his hairline down his neck. Gross. He let his head fall back onto the pillows. "You used to think about me?"

"I did." Andy felt, rather than saw, a small smile tug at April's lips. He could hear it in her voice, and it made him smile too. "All the time. Like, especially after that night I couldn't get in the bar. The way you left, I thought you'd never want to see me again." His smile faded and he sighed.

"Babe, that was...awkward," Andy said. He slid his hands up her sides and caressed her shoulders. She felt so small under his huge hands. He sighed softly, so full of love for her. He didn't like to think about his life before her, when he was with Ann, or trying to get Ann back. He hadn't thought about their first attempt to really hang out for a long time. He'd been such an idiot. He'd known April was young, he'd known she wasn't 21, but when she failed to get into the club, he'd freaked out a little bit. Maybe a lot. Definitely a big freak out. It seemed ridiculous now. 

They'd found their way to each other anyway. So they had a rocky start. They'd worked through it. And now? Now they were sleeping together in the bed April used to sleep in alone. They were staying with her parents for a few nights because a huge storm blew through and their power was out, and the house was miserable. Awkward as it was to stay with April's parents, there was air conditioning. And a lumpy bed that seemed to be made for not sleeping...

"Andy!" April gasped when he slid his hands down to her hips and pulled her on top of his body. His hands moved to her breasts, pinching each nipple between finger and thumb.


	3. November 2023: Jack's First Night Home (Prompt: Baby)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There seems to be a sleeping sort of theme going on so far with these drabbles. I promise that's not intentional! In this third installment, Jack is home from hospital following his birth, and his parents are in complete awe of their little guy.

"I just want to stand here and look at him forever," Andy said.

April slid an arm around his waist. "I know, babe. I feel the same way. But we need to try to sleep while he's sleeping."

Andy looked down at April and smiled. "I know. But can't we just watch him sleep?" He was so happy, ao thrilled their boy was finally out in the real world where he could hold him and talk to him and eventually play with him. April might have one baby, but she had two children now. And she wouldn't have it any other way. 

"Come on, babe," she turned to go to their bedroom, just across the hall. 

"You go. I'm gonna stay right here." 

It was on her tongue to argue and try to convince Andy to come to bed. But she bit it back and let her arm slide away and fall at her side. She knew he would come to bed when he was ready. Either that, or she'd find him curled up on the floor beside Jack's crib in a few hours. She figured that was just as likely, maybe even more likely, than anything else. It was certainly a sweet image. 

She looked back to smile at Andy standing there, his green eyes intense and entirely focused on the tiny baby. Jack had been born five weeks early. He'd spent three weeks in hospital. He was home now, just in time for Thanksgiving. April had a lot to be grateful for this year. Jack had jumped to the top of her list, but Andy was a close second. She knew she couldn't do this without him. She wouldn't want to do this without him. 

She went into the bedroom and impulsively pulled the pillows off the bed, stuffing them under her arms. She carried them to Jack's nursery and laid them on the floor. Andy asked her what she was doing, but she didn't answer. She left the room and returned a moment later with the oversized sleeping bag they kept in the closet, unused since April had found out she was pregnant with Jack. 

"I know you want to be close to him," she said softly. She patted the sleeping bag. "So tonight we're camping out in his room." 

"Babe..." Andy knelt down and leaned across the sleeping bag to kiss April's lips. His hand, big and warm, rested against her neck. "You're the best." He meant it. She always knew what he needed, and always gave him what he needed. Even something as silly as a camping trip in their son's nursery his first night home from the hospital. 

Andy crawled into the sleeping back and folded it down to invite April to join him. Once she was settled, he slipped his arms around her and held her close. He was uncharacteristically quiet, aside from a declaration of love for her and for their sleeping baby, and his breathing evened out after a few minutes. April smiled as she fell asleep in his arms.

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but she was alone in the sleeping bag when she woke. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Her heart leapt to her throat and she looked to the crib where her son should have been sleeping. And then to the rocking chair where her giant of a husband held the tiny baby to his chest. Andy's head was tilted back, eyes closed. Jack was snug in his arms, suckling on one of Andy's fingers, and gurgling softly in sleep.


	4. Spring 2031: A Crazy Idea (Prompt: Milk) [Mature Themes/NSFW]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April is having a rough night. Andy will do anything for his wife.
> 
> I guess I should say this chapter has a mature theme?
> 
> Bonus: A sneak peek at my headcanon for their precious family :)

Andy tiptoed out of the nursery, quiet as a mouse. He carefully tugged the door shut, cringing when it clicked. He stood still, listening for a moment before he moved away and ducked into the master bedroom. April had stolen all but one of his pillows to prop herself up against the headboard while she fed Arlo, and the exhaustion of being mom to five boys under the age of ten showed in her face. 

"They're all asleep," Andy announced as he came into the room. He tugged his shirt off, and tossed it to the hamper beside his dresser. 

"Mmmm." April opened one eye and grinned at him. "My beautiful miracle worker. I don't know you do it." Night after night, he managed. Jack and Ian were usually compliant. It was the younger ones that gave him trouble. But he always seemed to manage to get them all asleep in a reasonable amount of time. April was sure it had nothing to do with the fact he read to them and sang to them, and they all just kind of stared at him in awe until they fell asleep.

She let her eyes close as Andy climbed into bed beside her. "Babe. My pillows?" 

"Augh." April sat up, grimacing as she did. She immediately tried to put on a neutral face, and hoped he hadn't noticed. 

But Andy noticed everything. Especially since he was looking at her, anticipating that she would lean forward and let him take his pillows from behind her back. A current of worry ran through him, and presented as a flip-flop feeling in his gut. "No. Keep them. What's wrong?" 

"I'm fine, really. I'm just tired. Take your pillows."

"No. April." Andy put a hand on her arm. His hands were always warm. His entire body radiated heat 24/7. Ian and Lycan, at least took after him in that respect. Jack, Max, and Arlo tended to have more normal, less furnace like body temperatures. "What's wrong?"

April sighed. She leaned back on the pillows, and opened her eyes to look at her wonderful, loving, entirely too attentive husband. He was amazing. He was the best. He'd do anything for her, and she knew it. And here she was trying to keep something from him. She sighed, and turned the corners of her mouth up in a slight smile. She knew he wasn't going to fall for it.

"Now that he's started eating solid food, he's not drinking as much. I feel heavy. And I just want to go to sleep. But if I do..."

Andy hated to see April in pain. It killed something inside of him to see her suffering. "Where's your pump?"

"Downstairs," she told him. "I used it after dinner, but it wasn't working right. I thought if I could coax him into drinking enough tonight..." He was her fifth kid. She wasn't exactly an amateur. And yet, she hadn't told Andy the pump was broken. She hadn't asked him to run to the store and get her a new one, and she knew she wasn't going to make it through the night. Arlo wasn't nursing enough, he had never eaten as much from her breast as his brothers did. She'd had to pump more with him than any of the other four.

"Babe." Andy shifted, turned to sit facing her on the bed. He looked at her chest, and the wet spots on her thin shirt were suddenly very obvious. "What if I..." He shook his head. "That's crazy, isn't it?"

"You..." April lifted her head from the pillows. Andy had tasted her breast milk a few times along the way. It was kind of unavoidable with how many babies they had, and how often they had sex. But he'd never actually committed to drinking it before. April would be lying if she hadn't ever wondered what it would feel like. "You want to..."

"I want to help you." He would also be lying if he said he'd never thought about it. "I looked it up online once. And it said it's perfectly normal..."

"You did?" April blinked at him. 

Andy nodded, blushing. "After you had Jack, but I was afraid to ask you about it." He looked a little sheepish. "And you never said anything, so I didn't either." 

"Oh Andy." April burst into tears. She wiped furiously at her eyes with both hands. "I'm fine," she told him through ragged breaths. "It's just the damn hormones." And the frustration. And the fullness of her breasts, aching and leaking and making her feel like a complete failure. She'd had episodes with the other babies, of course she had. But those terrible nights had faded into the distant halls of memory. This was happening now, and she felt powerless against the onslaught of unwelcome emotions.

Andy didn't say anything. He shifted, though, and his hands were gentle but insistent as he lifted her shirt and pulled it over her head, and let it drop over the side of the bed to the floor beside her. His fingers drifted down, caressing the slope of her breasts. He watched her face, and he felt another flutter of worry for her when she whimpered and bit her bottom lip.

He looked to meet her eyes. "I love you," he murmured. He lay the lone pillow that wasn't behind her head across her lap. Laying against it, he closed his eyes and nestled against her breast. He knew he didn't have to say anything. She would let him know if it hurt, if she couldn't bear it, whatever. He trusted her to communicate with him.

He closed his lips over her nipple, cradled the hard nub with his tongue. She gasped and he lifted his head, eyes wide and worried. She smiled a soft smile, and guided him back to her breast with her delicate hands on either side of his head. "Don't stop," she whispered, and he began to suckle once more. Her hands stilled at first, then began to move, slowly stroking his head and combing her fingers through his curls.

It was difficult for him not to react to her gasps and whimpers at first, but he soon realised the sounds she made were an expression of pleasure and contentment. She needed this, needed him, and it was perfect. The milk was sweet, if warm, but he expected that. It flowed freely, and he drank it greedily until she tapped his head and prompted him to stop. "Other side," she instructed, and he seamlessly transitioned to drink from the other breast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys:  
> Jack (10-31-23): Burt Snakehole Ludgate Karate Macklin Demon Jack-O-Lantern Ldugate-Dwyer  
> Ian (8-18-25): Ronald Leslie Benjamin Thomas Johnathan Sebastian Ludgate-Dwyer  
> Lycan (10-1-27): Larry Alexander October Phantom Wraith Lycan Scarecrow Ludgate-Dwyer  
> Max (3-19-29): Reggie William Rivers Chang Maxwell Wayne Ludgate-Dwyer  
> Arlo (9-25-30): Andrew Robert Lawrence Orin Indiana Ludgate-Dwyer


	5. Spring 2031: April Makes A Decision (Prompt: Van)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April makes a major decision about an issue that is important to Andy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got them out of bed/sleeping situation!

"She's precious, isn't she?" Andy slid into the driver's seat and reached over to clasp April's hand. 

"Yeah," April nodded. There was no denying that their new baby niece was beautiful. "She is," April was glad Natalie had finally found someone she wanted to settle down with. Of course, he wasn't as great as Andy, but April firmly believed no one was as great as Andy, or good enough for her little sister. 

But Josh had married Natalie once they found out they were pregnant. April gave him a few points for stepping up and doing the right thing, at least. 

Andy moved his hand to the gear shift and backed out of the parking space. They'd been to the hospital and parked in the parking garage enough that he knew the way out without having to read the signs. April leaned back in her seat, and enjoyed the relative quiet. They'd left the boys with Leslie and Ben so they could visit Natalie and little Gracie. It was kind of surreal, really, to be in the car without some kind of commotion from the back.

"Do you think maybe," Andy started. April drew a steadying breath. She knew what was coming and as much as she wanted to cut him off and shut him down, she let him continue. "Maybe if we try one more time..."

"Andy. We already have five sons. That means I have six wild boys in the house." Sometimes Andy was the worst kid of them all. As much as she loved him, and as great a husband and wonder a man as he was, he was a handful. When the whole family went out somewhere, she tended to keep Max and Arlo in the stroller, and insisted Andy keep a hand on the buggy at all times. Jack, Ian, and Lycan could, for the most part, be trusted not to wander off. She'd more than once heard and seen Jack and Ian act like the parents when Andy was misbehaving or doing something utterly ridiculous like jumping on the bed or eating mud pies.

"I know, babe." Andy navigated the van out through the crazy maze of the parking garage. "But wouldn't it be great to have a little girl, too?"

Andy had made it clear from the very beginning that he wanted a daughter. April had tried, she'd tried five times to give him one. She didn't regret the boys one bit. She loved them all and wouldn't trade any of them for the world. Even knowing they would each end up being a boy, she would have done it all over again. 

But that didn't mean she wanted to go through another pregnancy. Each of the boys had presented with his own set of issues and circumstances. Jack and Arlo had both been born early. Ian had been easy enough, but she'd been sick the whole time with Lycan and had sworn up and down she was done having babies after he was born. And then Andy convinced her to try again. And Max had been huge, and had torn her up on the way out. She was really done after that. Except she wasn't. Arlo was a surprise baby, and she'd almost lost him two different times, and he'd been born even earlier than Jack had been. 

"Babe," April sighed. How could she tell him no? He'd been so excited to meet Gracie, and he'd beamed like she was his own when he held her. Andy never really asked her for anything. He was more inclined to do for her rather than ask for something for himself. He was super awesome and amazing that way. He always put April's needs, and the kids, before himself. He'd always been that way, and that was one of the first things she'd noticed about him, and one of the first reasons she'd started to fall in love with him years ago.

He was a genuinely good soul. And she couldn't justify refusing him the one thing he desperately wanted still. If only there was a way she could guarantee another baby would be a girl. But there wasn't. She would just have to take her chances, and hope number six was the charmed one.

"I know it's crazy," Andy said. His expression fell. She could hear the resignation in his voice. 

April reached over to put her hand on his arm. "Babe. When did we ever not do something just because it was crazy?" She asked him. She turned a little, as much as she could with the restraint of her seatbelt. "If I remember correctly, we do things because they're crazy. We don't shy away from it."

He was headed toward the garage exit, but turned suddenly and parked the van in an empty spot. April might have protested, but maybe it was better that they weren't on the road for this conversation. "Did you just...are we gonna...Babe, I..." His eyes went wide, and the green shined a little brighter with wonder and awe, and his trademark childlike wonder and excitement. 

April nodded. The way his face lit up all over again warmed her heart. Her heart and soul swelled with love for him. "One more time. And then we're done. Promise me. I need you to say it, Andy." April's dark eyes traveled over his face. She'd made him say it after Max too. 

She loved him so much, and she wanted to do this for him. She wanted to give him a daughter. Or at least try her damnedest to give him the little girl he'd dreamed about since the first time they'd talked about having kids. Back when he'd found Diane's discarded pregnancy test in the trash at Ron's cabin, and he'd thought she was pregnant then. That was the first time she'd broken his heart on the issue of kids. 

"Okay. This is the last one." April was over forty now. Andy was fifty. They were definitely getting too old to keep having babies every couple of years. "We're gonna have a girl this time. I just know it!" He leaned toward her, seeking her mouth. She unhooked her seatbelt and shifted forward, but instead of climbing into his lap, like he seemed to be expecting, she pushed him back to his seat, so that she could climb into the back. She met his eyes in the rearview and flashed a sultry sort of smile. She crooked a finger at him, beckoning him to the back where the windows were covered with sunshades to protect the boys. At the moment, the shades provided privacy. No one needed to know anyone was in the van.

The van rocked and creaked a bit as Andy climbed into the back to follow her lead. The back bench seat was free of car seats since Jack and Ian were old enough and big enough they didn't need them. Lycan's booster was easy enough to unhook and dump on the floor. April lay back on the seat and rucked her dress up to her hips. Andy took care of the rest, and they took the first step toward making another Ludgate-Dwyer baby.


	6. Summer 2031: April's News (Prompt: We're Pregnant)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ian's birthday, and April has some exciting news to share with Leslie and Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Lunabelle. Thanks for the inspiration, you're the best! <3
> 
> My first attempt writing Leslie and Ben. :)

Leslie insisted on coming over early to help April get everything ready for Ian's birthday party. He was turning six, and six was a pretty big, important number to hear him tell it. April and Andy both wanted him to have a super special birthday, but that was pretty consistent with all their kids and all their birthdays.

"I swear," April gave a little self-amused laugh, "booking Johnny Karate was the hardest part about this whole party. His manager tried to tell me he has too many kids of his own to do kid's parties anymore." She rolled her eyes and flapped a dismissive hand. "Can you believe that? How rude." 

Leslie gasped at the horror of it. "I hope you gave her hell."

"Well, he's making an appearance, so I think I made an impression." From somewhere upstairs, there was an ominous thud followed by several high pitched squealing giggles. Both April and Leslie started to get up, but before they could so much as head for the stairs, Andy hollered down that everything was fine. 

"Do you want me to..." Ben asked, not quite finishing the question, but gesturing toward the stairs. 

April shook her head. "Andy said it's fine, it's fine." 

"Would Andy even know if it wasn't fine, though," Ben asked. He wasn't trying to be demeaning or belittling. But he had known Andy for twenty years. He knew Andy wasn't always the smartest, or the most aware. He'd always kind of thought Andy was one ant shy of a picnic. He was a great guy, sure. He cared and his concern was genuine. But he was a little bit dense. Or a lot dense, in Ben's opinion. 

April cut her eyes at Ben. She liked him. She really did. He'd been an excellent boss when she'd worked for him. He'd been a decent roommate, before he and Leslie realised they belonged together. April would even go so far as to say she respected him, when she didn't respect much of anyone else. Hell, one of Ian's names was Benjamin, and she wouldn't have named her second son after him in any way if she didn't respect him. 

She knew he meant well when he questioned Andy's judgment. "Well, Ben," she said with a serious tone. "Whenever things haven't been fine, except for that one time when he was the one who wasn't fine, Andy's been the one to take control. He's the one who keeps the kids calm and figures out who to call to come and watch them. If he says things are fine, I'm going to trust him."

"Oooh," Leslie looked at her husband with an impish grin. "She schooled you." 

There was another thud, and the very obvious sound of small feet running down the hallway upstairs. Ben threw his arms up in a gesture of surrender. Leslie looked at April and snickered. Lumbering footsteps made their way down the steps, and Andy bounded into the family room. "They're having a dance party," he announced. "The triplets are the judges." 

"I'm sure they love that," Ben said and it was entirely impossible to tell if he was being serious or sarcastic. 

"Hey babe," April put her hands out to call Andy over to her. He practically bounced across the floor and as he approached, April stood up and Andy sat down in the chair where she had been and she plopped down in his lap. It was an easy, fluid motion, obviously something they did often. "I'm glad you're here. I think now's as good a time as any to tell them." 

Twenty years later, and they still didn't feel right if they weren't touching each other in some way. 

Leslie glanced at Ben, then at April and Andy. April and Andy had always been more physical than they were. Leslie thought it was kind of sweet, even now. 

"What did you want to tell us?"

"Well," April grinned. Andy laced his fingers with hers. Her other hand twirled a loose curl at the back of his neck and his free hand rubbed circles along her back. "We're pregnant again."

"Again?" Ben repeated the word. "You two do know you don't have to single-handedly repopulate the world, don't you?" 

Andy's hand moved to circle April's waist and he tucked his chin to her shoulder. "We're going to have a girl this time." 

April gave him a hard look. "We're hoping for a girl this time." 

"Just like the last four times?" Ben said. "Look, I'm happy for you guys, but..."

"But what, Ben? You didn't think we could handle one, but we have five happy, healthy, beautiful boys. They're well behaved, if a little hyper. Andy's the best dad, and we can't all have all the kids we want in one go. We're going to keep having babies until we have a little girl." 

"Babe. Wow. We are?" Andy blinked.

April turned her head and kissed him, just a quick kiss on the cheek. Honestly, she wasn't sure why she said that. If this one turned out to be another boy...well, she'd just committed to trying again. As many times as she had to, until they got a little girl. And honestly, she didn't regret it. She set her gaze on Ben, though. She was used to him being the Debbie Downer of the group, if he wasn't talking about one of his nerd games or nerd shows, he was being negative about something. Well, April had enough of it. "It'd be nice if our best friends supported us instead of complaining about it." 

"I wasn't -" Ben started, and threw his hands up again.

Leslie cut him off. "Yeah, you kind of were. But I think it's wonderful. I'm a little shocked, because you swore you were done after each of the last three. But I'm really happy for you and I hope you get your daughter this time." 

"I didn't mean I'm not happy for you. I just think maybe you're over doing it. People don't have six and seven kids these days. Most couples don't even have three anymore." 

"Don't think, Ben," April said to him. "Just sit there and look pretty. Even if you're not as pretty as Andy. That's okay. You're still kind of pretty" 

Andy tilted his chin up and nipped her earlobe. "Mmmm. Babe. you're so sexy when you get all bitchy at Ben." 

"Babe, stop. You're embarrassing me." Andy knew that absolutely was not true. April didn't get embarrassed. Especially not around Leslie and Ben. "And if you keep it up, we're going to have to go hide out in the coat closet or something." 

"Okay. No." Ben shook his head. "That's just wrong."

"But you know we'll do it," April grinned at him. She could have been upset by the attitude he took when she shared her news. But she knew him well enough to know that what sounded like disappointment and disapproval was actually concern. Which on one hand was sweet. He'd always cared about April and Andy and what happened to them. That was why he and Leslie were on the short list to call when they needed something. She didn't take his attitude personally. She knew he meant well, and in his own way was tying to look out for them.

"Hey Ben. Remember that time when you lived with us at Burly's old house, and we had that Halloween party, and Andy kept you in a headlock until you broke his nose?" Sometimes when Ben tried to look out for them, he ended up causing more harm than good, even when he meant well. 

"Yeah," Ben said, giving her a sideways look, wondering why she was bringing that up now. "That was like 20 years and ten kids ago." 

"Yeah, but Andy wasn't mad at you for it. Because friends don't get upset with each other. I know you wouldn't make the choices we made, but this is our choice. It's our kid just like Jack and Ian and Lycan and Max and Arlo are our kids. They're good kids, Ben. And they're all going to be awesome big brothers."

"Awww, Babe. You're the best." Andy's hands moved to her waist and he shifted a little under her. He looked up at Leslie and Ben. "Isn't she the best?"

"Well, almost the best," Ben reached for Leslie's hand.


	7. Jan 1, 1986: Of Birthdays and Tragedy (Prompt: Birthday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We know from Andy's personality assessment when he tried to be a cop that his dad is no longer living. This ficlet was actually supposed to be a happy little kid birthday scene. Yeah. It took a very angsty turn.

At five years old, the fact his birthday fell on New Year's Day didn't really mean much to Andy Dwyer. He knew it was during the winter break, when school shut down for a couple weeks so families could celebrate the holidays together. It meant his birthday was special because his brothers were home from school and his dad didn't have to go to work no matter what day of the week it was. Andy liked that. He loved the days when everyone stayed home because they were noisy and he wasn't bored all day like he sometimes was when everyone went away and it was just him and Mommy in the house. 

Andy's birthday meant they got to stay up late. Daddy said they could stay up till midnight and watch the ball drop, which sounded really silly to Andy. He liked to throw the ball, and dropping it usually made one or more of this brothers groan and say he was too little to play. Why would he want to watch someone drop the ball on TV?

Maybe he'd get a puppy for his birthday. He'd already decided on a name. Champ. Champ would be his best friend and they'd have all kinds of adventures together. The puppy would sleep in his room, maybe even curled up beside him in his big bed! Andy would move some of the stuffed animals to make room for him and it would be awesome! And tomorrow was his birthday, so maybe this would be the last night he'd have to sleep all by himself.

"Come on, little man," Andy's dad scooped him up into his arms. Andy sighed softly and clasped his arms around his dad's big, strong neck. He tried to protest, tried to say he wasn't sleepy, but he couldn't quite manage to wake up enough to make coherent words. "Maybe next year," he heard his dad say as he started up the steps. The next thing Andy knew, he was waking up to the bright sunshine in the window.

"Alex!" he yelped, jumping up and trying to climb from his bed to the bunk above him where his brother was sleeping. "Alex! It's my birthday! I'm five!" 

Alex rolled over and glared at Andy, but it only took a second for his face to break out in a grin. Andy was the youngest of the six Dwyer boys, and he was such a happy little guy no one could ever stay mad at him for long. Not even when he woke them up. "I know, little man," he said, because even though Alex was only three and a half years older than Andy, everyone called Andy 'little man'. 

"I'm five!" Andy attempted to jump, but it was more like a tumble, from his bed to the floor. He landed with a thud, but was on his feet in a matter of seconds, giggling as only Andy could. Alex climbed down from his top bunk, and pulled his curly headed little brother into a big hug. "Do you think Mama and Daddy got me a puppy?" Andy asked as Alex led him out of the bedroom.

"I guess we'll have to go downstairs and find out," Alex said. He headed down in front of Andy, but because Andy jumped over the last two steps, they hit the ground floor at roughly the same time, only Alex was on his feet and Andy sprawled out on the floor. Alex shook his head but he was smiling because that was just Andy, and offered Andy a hand to help him back up. 

The two boys raced down to the kitchen, with Alex taking the lead until right before the kitchen door, carefully pulling back so that Andy slid in ahead of him. "I won! I won!" Andy yelled. 

"You sure did, sweetheart," his mother said with a warm smile. "How's my little birthday man?" she knelt down to wrap her arms around him. Alex joined the other boys at the kitchen table. 

"I'm five!" Andy announced, as if this was news to everyone. 

"You sure are, little man." Andy's mom shooed him toward the table. "Daddy will be home with your special present soon." 

Andy climbed into his chair at the table. His oldest brother, Albert, set a package in front of him. "You can open it now, little man," he said. Andy tore the paper off the package and squeed with excitement as only a young child could. He tore into the box, yanking the dinosaur out of the package. 

Andy's mom served the pancakes, giving Andy his first. It was relatively quiet while all the boys ate their pancakes. Andy kept the dinosaur in his lap, offering the toy a bite of pancake before stuffing it in his own mouth. At least that kept him from shoveling the entire thing into his mouth all at once. 

"When Daddy will be home?" Andy asked. He was sitting at the table still, and holding his dinosaur. It was his birthday, so he didn't have to do his part to help clean up. Today everyone would wait on him, his brothers would divvy up his chores and do them for him. Tomorrow would be back to normal because tomorrow was just another day. But today was Andy's special day, and he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do.

"Why don't you go play with your new dinosaur in your room for a little while, Andy?" Andy's mom suggested. "I'll call you when Daddy gets home." 

"Okay, mama!" Andy climbed down from his chair. The dinosaur fell from his arms to the floor, but he scooped it up and took off for the stairs, his little feet sounding like a herd of elephants running through the house. 

*~*~*~*

Andy heard the telephone ring. He thought it might be his grandparents or maybe one of his aunts or uncles calling to wish him a happy birthday. He raced down the stairs, his dinosaur tucked under his arm. His mom was on the phone in the kitchen, and Andy looked up at her hopefully. He loved to talk on the phone. Grandma and Grandpa lived really far away so he didn't see them often but he talked to them a lot on the phone. 

"Yes, of course. I understand." His mom's voice sounded funny in a way he'd never heard before. She cleared her throat and almost seemed to be crying before she continued. "No. It's...I'll be right there. Thank you for calling me." She hung up the phone and stood there, her hand on the phone even though it was back on the wall. 

Her back was to him, and he couldn't see her face. "Mama?"

She drew in a deep breath, and her hand moved from the phone to wipe at her face. "Andy. I thought you were upstairs." 

"Was that Grandma on the telly-phone?" he asked. He didn't understand why mama had hung up the phone without letting him talk to her. 

"No, Andy. It wasn't your grandma. It was a police officer." 

Andy bounced on his bare feet. "Did him call to wish me happy birthday?" That was really special, and it made Andy feel super important. 

"Andy. Please go back upstairs."

"Mom?" Neither Andy nor his mom had heard Albert come into the kitchen. 

"Albert. Take your brother upstairs please." 

Albert reached out to take Andy's hand. "Come on, Andy," he said softly. Andy jerked his hand away. Their mom made a strangled sort of sound. Albert didn't know what was going on, or what that phone call had been about but he could guess. And it wasn't good news. Albert made the decision to pick Andy up. That seemed to be the only way he was going to get him to go upstairs. "You're so big, little man," he said. "I don't know if I can carry you now that you're five."

"I hate five!" Andy threw his dinosaur to the floor and pushed with both his little hands against Albert's shoulder. "I don't want be five anymore! I want be four!" 

One of the other older brothers had come halfway down the stairs. "What's going on?" he asked. 

"Mom was on the phone and she said to take him upstairs," Albert explained. He didn't want to say much more than that. 

"I don't want to go upstairs!" Andy beat his fists on Albert's shoulders since pushing away from him didn't work. Albert had said he didn't know if he could carry Andy, but he didn't seem to be letting Andy go. 

Albert didn't dare try to carry Andy up the stairs kicking and fighting like he was. He stepped up on the first step, then put Andy on his feet and tried to block him so he couldn't go down. Andy was fast, though, and he had the flexibility of youth. He slid right around Albert on one side and ran back to the kitchen and launched himself at his mother's legs. 

Albert and Anthony were right behind him, but not fast enough to grab him. "I'm sorry, Mom. He's just..." Albert started.

"I know." She pulled Andy into her lap and held him to her chest. Andy had no idea what was going on, but he knew his mom was upset and that made him upset too. He straddled her lap, his knees on either side of her and lay his head on her shoulder, his thumb in his mouth. 

The other boys had come downstairs hearing all the commotion. They were all gathered around the kitchen doorway. Their mother kissed the top of Andy's head as Alex stepped forward and picked up the dinosaur Andy had thrown and held it out to him. Andy pushed it away.

"Boys. Your father's been in an accident. The officer couldn't tell me anything except that he was being taken to hospital. Albert, Anthony, I need you to look after the younger boys so I can go see him and find out what happened." 

"Of course, Mom." Albert moved to take Andy from her. He wrapped himself around her, holding tight and refusing to let go. Standing up, his mother didn't even have to hold on to him because his grip on her was tight enough to keep him in place. She pried his arms, and Albert unhooked his legs. He was transferred to Albert despite his efforts to hang on to his mother. 

Andy reached for his mom, screaming with his arms stretched out toward her. 

"I don't know when I'll be home. Albert, please look after your brothers." 

"I will, Mom." 

When she was gone, Albert sat down on the couch with Andy. He pushed away, tumbling off the couch. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the door. He got it open before anyone could stop him and he scampered out into the cold without shoes and wearing only his pajamas. He ran toward their mother's car disappearing down the road. 

Anthony was the fastest of the boys, and closest to the door. He ran after Andy, tackling him just before he ran into the street, the two of them rolling in the snow. "Shhhh, Andy. It's okay, little man. I got you. We got you."

"Mama!" Andy cried, then went limp in his brother's arms when the car turned and disappeared around a corner. "Mama," he said again, weaker. 

Anthony struggled to hold on to Andy as he stood up. He at least had shoes on, but his clothes weren't made for being out in the snow. He held Andy close and carried him back inside, patting his back and trying to reassure him with soft whispers. He carried Andy to the couch and sat down, arms tight around the boy so he couldn't push off and run away again. 

Andy struggled against Anthony for several minutes, grunting and screaming at him until he fell against him, exhausted and crying, and fell asleep.


	8. Fall 2029: Writing On The Wall (Prompt: Writing on the wall)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April gets suspicious when Andy and the boys are too quiet. Set in 2029, featuring Jack (age 6), Ian (age 4), Lycan (age 2) and Max (age 8 months). 500 words of pure adorable family fluff.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Silence in the Dwyer household was suspicious. Especially when Andy was upstairs with the kids and April was in the kitchen. Andy did most of the cooking. He wasn't a great cook, but he could make things that appealed to small children. And when he cooked, April didn't have to.

She was off work for a four day weekend, though, and decided to give Andy a break from kitchen duty. She stirred the spaghetti sauce, and turned the heat to low just to be safe since she was going upstairs and check on Andy and the kids. She wasn't worried, not really. Maybe just a tiny bit. 

One of the kids started crying. April felt her body react; it didn't take much to make her leak. It was almost time to feed Max anyway. 

She could hear Jack's voice, but couldn't make out the words until she got to the top of the stairs. "Daddy, give me the marker." He sounded stern. All business. April didn't have to see him to know he had his hand out, his dark eyes set on Andy. At six years old, he was far more mature than his father most of the time. 

"Daddy! Mama's gonna be mad. Do you want mama to be mad at you?" 

"No." Andy said. April crept to the open door of the playroom. The baby gate would keep the kids from escaping. 

Jack tapped his foot. "Then give me the marker." He held his hand out, just as April had pictured, and she watched Andy begrudgingly give Jack the marker. He already had three others in his hand, and she had no doubt he'd taken then from Lycan. The two-year-old had colored scribbles on his face, and he was the one who was crying. Baby Max was in his playpen, and Ian was pressed against the netting making faces at him.

Jack dropped the makers in a storage bin and shut it with a bang. "Mama gonna put you in time out, Daddy. 'Member when Ian did the scribbles in the living room?"

"I don't do that no more," Ian said. Max's little hand pushed against his brother's face, but Ian didn't seem to mind. He was super patient with Max. He always had been.

Lycan had stopped crying. With the markers taken away, he climbed into Andy's lap and put his chubby little fingers in Andy's beard. Andy turned his face into one of Lycan's hands and blew raspberries into his palm. Lycan giggled and dropped backward, tumbling over Andy's legs, but Andy's hands caught him as he went down so he didn't hit the floor but sprawled across Andy's legs.

April slipped away from the door before any of the boys saw her. She'd deal with the marker on the wall later, but she kind of wanted to wait and see if Andy told her about it. Or Jack. Jack would probably tell her about it before Andy had a chance.


	9. Fall 2011: After Midnight (Prompt: Babysitting) [3 Girls AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy Dwyer has arranged for Natalie Ludgate to babysit his girls. Her sister shows up instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is complete AU. I do not even know where this came from, but here it is.

"Daddy! Meadow's taking my crackers!" eight-year-old Echo Dwyer complained. She looked up at her father, her big green eyes almost a mirror image of his own. 

"Meadow!" Andy chastised his middle daughter. "Don't steal your sister's crackers! I'll give you more." He reached for the box, but so did nineteen-month-old Indigo. Her chubby little hand hit the box first, knocking it over. Crackers spilled onto the floor, and the dog was quick to move in to clean them up.

"But daddy, Echo's are better!" five-year-old Meadow whined.

"They're the same crackers. Right out of the same box, dummy." Echo growled at her sister, which earned her a narrow-eyed look from her father. 

"Echo." Andy said, his voice stern. He was the sort of dad who got down on the floor and played with his kids, he had been to more teddy bear tea parties than he could count and even had his nails painted at least a hundred times. Name calling was the one thing he couldn't and wouldn't tolerate. Nicknames were one thing, but derogatory names were not allowed.

Echo groaned. "Sorry, daddy." Andy gave her another Look. "Sorry, Meadow. I should have just said it's the same crackers, right out of the same box."

"Okay." Meadow smiled as Andy poured more crackers into her bowl. She looked up at him with dark eyes that reminded him of her mother. He should be used to that by now, but sometimes it hit him hard and he just had to take a moment, close his eyes, and regroup. "Daddy, can you give Echo some more too please? Since I taked hers." 

"Took. You took hers, not taked." Andy poured a few crackers into Echo's bowl. "But thank you for being sweet to your sister." 

The doorbell rang, and Champion took off running, barking his shrill bark. Indigo bounced against Andy's hip, kicking her legs and clapping her hands. Echo and Meadow jumped down from their chairs, crackers forgotten as they followed Champion to the door. Andy trailed behind, still holding the box of crackers, at least until Indigo knocked it out of his hand and sent a new wave of crackers onto the floor.

"Daddy can I open it?" Echo asked. She wasn't allowed to open the door without permission, but Andy nodded. They all knew who was on the other side. Only it wasn't Natalie, it was her sister, April. Unphased, the girls assaulted her with hugs and Andy put Indigo on her feet so she could join in. 

"Hey, Mr D," April rolled her shoulders. "Nat's come down with a stomach bug or something. She asked me if I'd cover for her, said she couldn't bail on you at the last second." 

Andy swallowed the lump in his throat. April was gorgeous, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to her. Not that he'd ever let her know that. No way. She was barely 21, and he already knew he'd want to murder some 30-year-old creeper who so much as looked at one of his girls even if she was technically legal. Thankfully he still had a few years before the boys would start to notice Echo.

"I'm not sure how late I'll be," he said. He was just going to focus on the business side of things. He was grateful Natalie hadn't canceled. He'd be in a really tough bind if she had. He couldn't miss this meeting, and he couldn't very well take the girls with him. "I can't have my cell on during the meeting, but I'll check it on my breaks." He really hoped she couldn't read the awkwardness in his voice. "My brother Alex lives about ten minutes away. His number is on the fridge, call him if you need anything. Indi needs Amoxicillin at nine, it's in the fridge, and they can try to stay up until I get home." 

"Yay!" Echo and Meadow cheered together. Indigo joined in a moment later, once she realised what they were doing. Natalie picked her up so Andy could give her a kiss on the cheek. He bent down to kiss Echo and Meadow, then grabbed his messenger bag and headed out. 

***

Andy didn't get home until after midnight. He wasn't surprised to find everyone passed out when he let himself into the house. April was sacked out on the couch with Echo and Meadow on either side, and Champion curled up on the floor. Indigo wasn't with them, and he assumed she was upstairs in her crib. He hoped she was upstairs in her crib. He wasn't worried, though, Natalie was totally responsible, and he'd never had a single issue or complaint with her when she took care of the girls for him, and he expected the same would be true of April.

Champion got up and trotted over to greet Andy. Andy pet him and praised him for being quiet and not waking everyone up with his barking.

Andy carefully moved in and picked Meadow up. She stirred, and mumbled something about unicorns, but the rest was incoherent. Andy couldn't help but smile as he pulled her to his chest. He carried her up to her bed and carefully eased her under the blankets. She was still wearing her bathing suit, but he wasn't going to worry about that. Trying to change her into pajamas would surely wake her up.

He kissed her forehead and wished her good night and sweet unicorn dreams before going down to get Echo. She was a bit heavier, and before long Andy wouldn't be able to carry her easily. But he wasn't quite ready to give that up just yet. He gently lifted her up and made his way upstairs to put her into bed. 

He stopped to check on Indigo, who was in fact asleep in her crib, before he went back downstairs. April was awake, sitting at the far end of the sofa with her legs tucked under her. She sat up when Andy lumbered into the room.

"How were the girls?" he asked. He sat down in a chair opposite the sofa, and across from April. He looked at her, but tried not to look her over. He couldn't help it, though. There was something about her that just called out to him. He felt his heart rate increase when he was around her. And it was stupid and silly. He was too old for her. And for all he knew, she had a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. he really didn't know much about her. 

"Perfect angels," April told him, and drew his focus back to the present. She laughed a coy little laugh, and Andy tried not to show the fact his heart fluttered at the sound. "Well, Echo and Meadow got into it with each other over the crackers. And Indigo did not want to take her medicine. But otherwise they were darling angels as always." 

"I'm glad you came over." Not only because he liked to see her. He couldn't admit that, but he realised that was kind of how it sounded. He drew a breath and continued, trying to explain what he meant without sounding like the 30-year-old creeper with a thing for a 21-year-old girl. "I mean, thank you for giving up your Friday night to stay with my girls." 

April stretched, arching her back. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, the shirt rode up a little giving him a flash of skin. He looked away, but at the same time tried to seer the image into his brain. April's arms dropped back to her lap. "I wasn't really doing anything anyway. And I know Nat enjoys coming over here. She talks about the girls all the time. It was actually nice to spend some time with them." 

"I'm sure they loved having you here too," Andy said. He was actually kind of jealous he hadn't been able to stay home with them. But then April wouldn't have been necessary, so that was a silly thought. "I usually pay Natalie $10 an hour. Is that cool with you?"

April waved a hand. "Please. You don't have to pay me. I mean, we spent most of the time in the pool. It was all fun and games. It seems criminal to get paid for that." 

"I know, but..." Andy started.

April shook her head. "I don't want your money, Mr Dwyer."

"Andy. It's Andy," he told her. She wasn't a teenager. He didn't feel the need to be formal. 

"Okay, Andy. Consider it a favor, or whatever. I don't know." She smiled and he felt his tongue slide across his bottom lip. He mashed his lips together and hoped she didn't read anything into it. Except it seemed like maybe she did since she stood up and seemed to float across the space between them until she was right there in front of him, One hand going to his hair, the other braced against his thigh. She leaned forward and her lips, warm and wet, pressed against his. 

She tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream and in that moment, it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. But he knew it was wrong. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned back, breaking the kiss. "April..."

"Hmmm?" She question, dropping to her knees because leaning over like she was just wasn't practical. 

"We shouldn't..."

"Shhhh." April put a finger to his lips. "It's all right. I want this as much as you do." Her fingers danced to his jawline and she kissed him again. Her hands dropped to his belt, working to unfasten it. Andy lifted his hips, powerless to resist. he'd tried, she'd shut him down, and he was half hard and straining against the confines of his pants. 

She worked his belt loose, hands going right to the button and zipper to open his jeans. Her hand, soft and warm, jammed into his underwear and pulled him free. He groaned against her mouth. She shifted, and though he couldn't really see what she was doing, he knew she was working her shorts down. 

"April..." he murmured. He knew he should stop her, but he just didn't have the will to make her stop. How could he, when this was exactly how he'd dreamed it would happen someday? Of course, he'd imagined their first time together would be softer, sweeter, less frantic and hurried. But this was amazing too. 

All at once, she was crawling up and into his lap, and without breaking the kisses for longer than it took to breathe. His hips bucked upward as she took hold of him again and rubbed his cock against herself. He tried to resist, he knew he should try harder, or at least insist on getting a condom but he just...couldn't. "I'm on the pill," she said, as if she read his mind. 

She was already wet, already pulsing. She grunted and he groaned as she teased them both by forcing him to slide against the folds of skin, but denying him full entry. She couldn't keep that up for long. His hands gripped her waist and she set her hands to his shoulders as she finally took him in and began to rock her hips. 

She finally broke away from his mouth, her lips parted, and her breath came out in ragged bursts. Andy's hips rolled in time with her movements, so that he shot upward as she came down and the result was a slap of skin on skin as he plunged deep inside of her. "Andy..." She gasped, looking down at him, her brown eyes dark with lust. 

He let his head fall forward, his lips seeking a breast as she fucked him. Her orgasm flooded him moments later, and his wasn't far behind, both of them panting and whimpering. Her movement slowed as he went limp. "That was incredible," she purred, and her lips found his before he could reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has become an actual fic, and can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16015337).


	10. 2009: Brother Knows Best (Prompt: Lust)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy has a conversation with his brother. Premarriage. Requested by Lunabelle.

"I think what you're feeling, Little Man," Alex Dwyer grinned at his brother, "is lust." Andy was the youngest of the six Dwyer boys, and even though he was closing in on 30 now, his brothers all still referred to him as Little Man. It was normal, and comfortable for Andy. He almost didn't know how to respond when they called him Andy instead.

Andy shook his head. "Nah." But he kind of knew Alex was right. But it was so wrong. April was so young. She wasn't even old enough to drink yet. He didn't know when her birthday was, but it didn't matter. She was way too young. And way too cute. He could deny it all he wanted, but deep down he felt it. 

He couldn't stop thinking about her. He thought about the way the sun caught her hair, or how it made her eyes sparkle when she looked over her shoulder. And that little smile, subtle and easy to miss, when he caught her looking at him whenever he went into the Parks office. Or the way she'd twirl her hair a little when she looked away, when she pretended to be writing something down or looking something up on the computer.

And then in the quiet moments at his shoe shine stand, he thought about kissing her. Her lips looked so soft, and he wondered what they'd taste and feel like. Maybe they'd taste like cotton candy lip gloss, or cherry chapstick. He had no doubt they'd feel like velvet. Would she like the tickle of his beard, when he kissed her?

And what about when he explored other places? He wanted to have her writhing beneath him, his fingers, lips, and tongue roaming over her flawlessly smooth skin, every single inch of her. He'd start with her forehead and work his way down, skimming over the important parts, all the way down to her toes then work his way back up, over calf and thigh and...

He didn't realise his eyes were closed and he was fully immersed in the fantasy until Alex snapped his fingers. "Andy. Earth to Andy."

Andy blinked. "Oh, sorry. I was..."

"Thinking about the girl, I know. So what if she's younger than you? She's twenty, right? It's not like she's twelve. Twenty's an adult, Andy. If you like her, and she likes you...there's nothing wrong with going out, seeing how it goes." 

"Okay." Andy nodded. Alex was smart, and he trusted Alex's judgment. If Alex said it was okay, it was okay. So why did he still feel like some kind of creeper, while at the same time thinking about giving her hickeys right on her boobs?


	11. 2013: I Long To Feel Your Touch (Prompt: Touch) NSFW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Andy are on a Skype call while he's in London. Things take an interesting turn. NSFW.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW.

"Augh. Andy." April groaned at her husband's image on the computer screen. He looked good. Happy. Of course, Andy was always happy. It took a lot to make him not-happy. April didn't like to think about those sorts of things. At least not while she was talking to him. "I miss you. I wish you were here."

"I know, babe," Andy said. "I wish I was too." He stretched, arching his back with his arms up and behind his head. "I wanna touch you so bad." 

"That's all I think about," April admitted. "All day, every day." They were always holding hands, or she'd sit in his lap and he'd rub her feet while she fingered the shell of his ear. She knew that drove him crazy, and she loved making him squirm when there were other people around. 

"If I was there right now, where would you want me to touch you?"

April didn't blush often. But sometimes, like now, she felt the warmth creep up in her cheeks. "Andy!"

"Show me." Andy said, his voice a little harder, a little more demanding. April thought she must be imagining that. But damn, it was kind of sexy. Andy could be a real animal in bed, she knew that. He took control sometimes, and she loved it when he did. But this, telling her what to do, was new. 

She bit her bottom lip, trying to appear innocent, and slid a hand down between her legs. 

"No. Show me." Andy said. "I want to watch you touch yourself." 

"Andy!" April said, but there was no real protest. She really sort of liked this side of him. She hated that he had to be 4000 miles away for her to discover he even had a side like this, but she'd count it as one of the good things to come from his job in London. She maintained the coy, almost shy approach, biting her bottom lip and moving her hand slowly down her stomach.

"Take your pajamas off," he said, and his voice rumbled with a growl like loose gravel. 

She nodded, and stood, shifting the angle of her computer to give him a better view as she stripped for him. Once she was naked, she sat back down on the bed, propped up on the pillows. She adjusted the computer a little, then leaned back and resumed walking her fingers over her stomach. She looked at Andy on the screen, his mouth slack, his eyes heavy but focused, watching her. 

"You're so beautiful, babe," Andy purred. He was halfway around the world, and he could still elicit a moan from her. She couldn't help it. She knew it was her own hand sliding between the slick folds of sensitive skin, but she closed her eyes and pretended it was Andy. His voice sent a shock of pleasure through her as her fingers worked magic on her clit. 

"That's it, don't hold back, babe. Show me. Let me see your pleasure," Andy murmured. Most of the time when she teased herself, it took so long to get the build up. But here and now, with Andy talking to her like he was, even though he was so far away, she felt herself teetering on the edge in a matter of moments, and it wasn't going to take much to send her flying over to the other side. 

Andy ceased talking. His words surrendered to grunts and growls, and the sharp intake of breath that told her he was climaxing. That was all it took, and she joined him with a gasp and a moan, and a whimper of his name. Breathing hard, she pulled her hand away and let it rest on her stomach. 

"That was..."

"Yeah." Andy answered. She heard him fumbling around, and looked at the screen to see him cleaning his side with a tissue. 

"I love you so much, babe."

"I love you too." His voice was husky. She loved tthe roughness he gained after orgasm. It was sexy as hell.

"When are you coming home?"

"Three weeks," he told her. That may as well have been an eternity. It sure as hell felt like forever.


	12. Summer 2023: You Promised (Prompt: Crave)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April's pregnant. And craving Hot Tamales.

"Babe, seriously?" Andy stared at her. She knew he'd do anything for her, and he would, without question, without hesitation. But was she really asking him to go to the store at 3am for Hot Tamales? He'd prepared for the pickles and ice cream cravings, but that wasn't happening. She wanted nothing to do with pickles, and didn't care about ice cream either. 

She wanted Hot Tamales. And nothing was going to make her happy until she got them. "I need them, Andy." April rubbed her palm over the curve of her belly. "The baby needs them." 

Andy groaned and kicked the covers back so he could sit up and slide to his feet. He'd never deny her anything. Not even a middle of the night run to the store for candy. Even if it was like the one candy Andy didn't like. He'd just have to get himself something that he did like while he was there. 

He tugged a pair of shorts on over his boxers, hopping on one foot and tumbling forward, falling face first onto the bed. He grunted and pushed himself back up to his feet. April just shook her head, but she couldn't help but grin. Andy shoved his arms into a plaid shirt and jammed his feet into his shoes. 

"Babe. Stop fooling around," April chided. "I'm dying here."

Andy scrubbed his hand over his face, fingers scraping against his jawline. He fell forward onto the bed and crawled up to the pillows. "Babe, I'm so sleepy." 

"Andy!" April whined and shoved Andy's shoulder with both her hands. "Come on. You said you'd go now." 

Andy sat up and slapped his cheeks with both hands. "I'm awake, I'm awake." 

April leaned over, a hand on Andy's thigh. She kissed his lips, her other hand moving to caress the shell of his ear. "I love you, babe." Her hands moved to shove against his chest. "Now go." 

"I love you too," Andy said, and lumbered to his feet. He stumbled toward the door, crashing into the door frame in classic Andy style. April just shook her head and blew him a kiss off her fingertips. Cravings were serious business.


	13. 2013: Missing Him (Prompt: Hands)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie asks April what she misses most about Andy when he's gone. Slightly NWS.

"What do you miss most since he's been in London?" It seemed like a fairly innocent question. Or maybe not. The obvious answer would be sex. She definitely missed that. They were super active, when they were together. She wasn't inclined to cheat on him, except with her own hands and an occasional toy, but nothing she could do was as fulfilling as physically being with him. They had sex a lot. She definitely missed that. But that wasn't her answer. 

It wasn't just sex, though. It was way more than that. They weren't just husband and wife, they weren't just lovers. They were best friends. They were two halves that made a beautiful whole when they were together because even though the parts weren't split right down the middle, all of her fit all of him and all of him fit all of her perfectly. They completed each other in a way nothing and no one else ever had. 

She'd only been with Derek and one other guy before Andy. She didn't count Ben because she'd never made out with Ben. He was Derek's boyfriend anyway, not hers. She didn't count Eduardo either because she'd never slept with him. She'd used him to get back at Andy and to try and get over Andy. Obviously that hadn't worked out for her. 

It hadn't worked because Andy was the real deal. She hated to use the word soulmate. That wasn't it. She didn't believe in that stupid sappy crap anyway. There were no soulmates, or divine interventions or whatever. There were just people. And Andy was her person. He was the one she loved, even though he was absolutely not the sort of guy she ever imagined she'd end up with.

She looked at her sister with a soft roll of her shoulders. What did she miss most? There were a million things she could have said, but there was really one thing that stood out to her. She crossed her arms over her chest, tucking her hands under her armpits. "HIs hands," she said, giving the most honest and truthful answer she knew. She missed Andy's hands. 

Hands that massaged her feet after a long day. Hands that moved with the grace and fluidity of water when he played his guitar, yet sometimes struggled to write legible words on paper. Hands that caressed her body when they were alone, ghosting over her sensitive skin, soft and light. Hands that teased her through pleasure to frustration to absolute bliss in a matter of seconds, then held her as she trembled against him. 

She missed all of him, she missed his very presence, but most of all she missed his hands.


	14. 2020: Middle Of The Night Phone Calls Are Never Good (Prompt: Phone Call)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy's phone rings in the middle of the night. That can't be good.

April groaned when Andy's phone started ringing. The clock on her bedside table said it was 2:26. Who the hell was calling at 2:30 in the morning? Andy shifted beside her, his hand fumbling for the phone, and all he ended up doing was knocking it to the floor. He grumbled something April couldn't quite make out and tucked his arm back in.

"Andy!" She shoved his shoulder. "At least check the caller ID." He mumbled, the words garbled and unintelligible. He'd always been a heavy sleeper. She sighed and leaned across him, but of course the phone couldn't be where she could get to it. She sighed and moved back to her side of the bed. She closed her eyes, even though she knew she wasn't going to sleep. Not until she knew who was calling Andy in the middle of the night.

She figured it was most likely a prank, or a misdial. But there was a nagging twitch at the back of her mind that said it might be important. Andy had a pretty big family, and his mom was something like 92. Just as she was pushing herself out from under the blankets, the phone started ringing again. "Andy!" April hissed, but she knew he wasn't going to get the phone. He was dead to the world.

She fumbled around to Andy's side of the bed. The phone was glowing, and the caller ID showed his brother's face. April slid the answer bar across the screen. "Alex? What's wrong?" Because at 2:30 in the morning, something had to be wrong. 

"April. I need to talk to Andy. Can you wake him up?"

That definitely didn't sound like good news. April held the phone to her ear with her shoulder and shoved Andy with both hands. "Andy. Andy, wake up. Your brother needs to talk to you. Andy." 

Andy swatted at April's hands. "Stop stealing my pancakes." 

"Andy!" April growled. "He's not waking up, Alex. You know how hard it is to wake him up." 

"Try harder," Alex said. April could practically feel his frustration through the phone. She'd always felt like Alex didn't like her. She kind of felt that way about all Andy's brothers, actually. They tolerated her, but she wasn't sure they liked her. Of course they probably looked at her the way she looked at Natalie's husband. No one was good enough for their little brother, just like no one was good enough for her baby sister.

She couldn't blame them for that, but it was damned annoying. She gave Andy's shoulder another hard shove. He turned over, putting his back to her like a solid brick wall. April sat back on her pillows. She's tried. What more could she do when Andy wouldn't wake up? She could bang pots and pans inches from his ears and he wouldn't move. He was just a really super deep sleeper. 

"Or you could tell me what's wrong and I can tell him when he wakes up." 

Alex sighed. April thought for a moment he wasn't going to say anything. She wouldn't put it past him to hang up on her. "Mom had a heart attack. She's in bad shape, April, and Andy needs to get to the hospital to see her right away." He didn't have to say 'before she dies' for April to hear it. 

"Oh shit." April felt bad for not trying harder, but Andy was seriously almost impossible to wake up from a dead sleep. "Okay. I'll get him up. We'll be there in...as soon as we can."


	15. Spring 2010: April's Birthday (Prompt: Goodnight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's April's birthday, and she's been drinking. Andy wants to make sure she gets home safe.

He didn't want the night to end, but the bar was closing. Almost everyone had left already, but it was her birthday, and she was still nursing a drink. He'd finished his already, and he'd almost left. But she hadn't left and he didn't want to leave until she did. He kind of wanted to make sure she got home safe. She still lived with her parents, and probably had a curfew. Except she was 21 now, so maybe not? He really didn't know how that worked. 

She tilted her head back, slamming what was left of her drink. Hitting the glass on the bar, she turned away. She stumbled a little, and it wasn't difficult to see that she was drunk. He waited by the door, and watching her make her way toward him was like watching a train wreck. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. 

He was a big guy, a bit over six feet, and close to 300 pounds. He held his drink well. He felt a slight buzz, but actually watching her stumble her way to the door had kind of worked to sober him up. Especially when some guy Andy didn't know fell into step beside her and put his hands on her. She giggled and raised a hand to the guy's shoulder. 

Andy felt some kind of weird compulsion to step in. He crossed the room in a matter of seconds. "There you are," he said to April. "I've been looking for you. We should get out of here before-"

"Whoa, hey big guy," the other guy said. Andy didn't recognise him, except for seeing him tonight. He'd made the rounds, talking to all the pretty girls. He was pretty sure the guy had been talking to Ann at one point. Andy thought he remembered he shoving him away. 

"Oh Andy," April said, her voice pitched and giddy. She took a step toward him and all but fell against him. He caught her with one hand, his arm snaking protectively around her waist. "My hero," she said with a school-girl giggle. 

Andy was preoccupied with April and didn't notice the guy preparing to hit him. The punch was stopped mid air when Ron Swanson's meaty hand clamped down on the guy's arm. "Get her home, son," Ron said to Andy. "I will deal with this meathead." 

"Yes, sir." Andy didn't need to be told twice. He led April outside, into the cool night air. She went with him easily, giddy and laughing all the way to his truck. He opened the passenger door and helped her in, and clicked her seatbelt for her because she seemed to have forgotten how it worked. "Please don't puke in my truck," he mumbled, mostly to himself, as he went around to the driver's side.

Fortunately she didn't puke, though he thought she was going to at one point. She managed to hold off until they got to her house, and she opened the door and leaned out the side to heave in the grass. She was done by the time he came around and offered her a bunch of napkins he had stashed in the console from some fast food restaurant. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." 

She awkwardly held the napkins in a balled up bundle after she'd used them to wipe her mouth. "I, uh, thanks for bringing me home."

Andy nodded. "You're welcome. Happy birthday, April." He offered his arm, to walk her up to the door. 

"Good night, Andy." She lifted herself up on her toes and gently kissed his cheek.

"Good night, April," he said as she turned to let herself into the house. He thought for a moment she was going to invite him in, but that would be weird at her parent's house. He was glad she didn't, and he headed back to his truck and drove himself home.


	16. Spring 2011: Movie Night (Prompt: Movie Night)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April falls asleep watching a movie with Andy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd rate it Teen and up, I guess? It's not exactly scandalous, but they do sort of discuss things...

She wasn't sure how long she'd slept. The last thing she remembered was...well. She couldn't quite remember. She knew she'd been awake past the opening credits, but she wasn't sure how long after that. Apparently he hadn't moved much, because she felt sweaty and sticky where her back was pressed against his side, and there was definitely sweat -hopefully sweat and not drool!- on his shoulder. 

She shifted, sitting up and stretching. The television was still on, but the movie wasn't, instead commercials were playing. He raised his arms over his head and arched his back. "Nice nap?"

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's fine," he said, and she knew he meant it. Andy didn't say things he didn't mean. When he did, he tended to recant immediately. It was one of his quirks, but she thought it was kind of cute. Honestly, she thought anything he did was kind of cute, because she thought _he_ was kind of cute. "I think I dozed off for a while too. When I woke up, the movie was over and this was on," he gestured at the TV. The program had returned, a flashy cartoon. "So I've been watching it waiting for you to wake up." 

"You could have woken me up," She wouldn't have minded. Probably. Even if she'd been annoyed at the time he actually woke her, she'd have gotten over it right away. She hadn't come over to spend the time together sleeping, after all. Actually, she'd had a different kind of sleeping together in mind when she'd agreed to come over to his place. 

He shook his head. "Nah. I wasn't going to do that. You were comfortable. And I figured you needed it." 

"Yeah, but I didn't come over here to sleep." She shifted her eyes, looking pointedly at his crotch. "At least not that kind of sleep." A different kind of sleep, that was what she was expecting. Not that she thought Andy would expect it. He wasn't that kind of guy. But she kind of thought that was the whole point of getting together. 

Andy's bright green eyes narrowed with confusion, then went wide with understanding. "Oh. I...Oh!" His cheeks flushed red. Or maybe she imagined that. No, she was pretty sure it wasn't her imagination. He was blushing. And that made her cheeks flush with a wave of awkward heat.

"I mean, if you want to," she said, quickly trying to toss the proverbial ball into his court. She really sucked at flirting.

She'd only been with two other guys before him, and neither of them had been all that great. She hadn't really even liked Derek all that much, at least not after he started dating Ben too. But they made out a lot, and she liked that. She hadn't been with anyone since she'd dumped him at the dance after he and Ben were making fun of Andy. She missed it, at least the physical aspect of it, but she didn't regret breaking up with him. He was a jerk. Andy didn't deserve ridicule.

Andy was twice the man Derek would ever be. He might be simple-minded at times, he might be a little bit on the immature and childish side, but he was honest and sincere. He said what he thought, and he said what he meant. He didn't make fun of people or go out of his way to be a jerk. He laughed a lot and had a smile for everyone he met. Even when someone was mad at him, he'd manage a smile. He was pretty much one of a kind, and April wanted to get to know him better.

And she honestly kind of wondered what sex with him would be like. He was a big guy. Not just tall, but round too. But not like disgusting or anything. He had the height, so even though he was maybe a little over weight, it didn't really matter. He had a cute face, and kind eyes, and she could just imagine the things he could do with that mouth and those long fingers, and, well, other things too. She wasn't ashamed to think about it, but she was a little concerned that her thinking about it would make him awkward and uncomfortable. 

She'd imagined all sorts of positions. Laying on her back with him on top might not be the best way to go about it. At least not at first. Even though it was traditional, he was a good deal bigger than her. She kind of wanted to put him on his back and ride him. She'd have control of the pace and everything then, and his hands would be free to stroke and caress her body. That was maybe ideal. But there were other positions. Bent over a table, for example. Or pressed up against the wall. She'd always been curious about shower sex, but that wasn't something she was ever going to suggest with Derek. She wondered how Andy would feel about it. 

He was almost thirty, and there was no way Ann was his first girlfriend. She was pretty sure he'd had several girlfriends. She didn't like to think about that, she felt weird when she thought about him being with Ann or anyone else, but she couldn't deny the reality of it. Knowing it was true didn't mean she had to think about it, though. She'd much rather pretend he was closer to her age, and a virgin. In that case, it would be up to her to teach him what she knew, and that wasn't much at all. 

She blinked at him. He was still just sort of staring at her. Was that a bad sign? Had she upset him with even the vague suggestion of sex? It seemed that way, and she felt a flood of panic. How could she tactfully backpedal and erase the awkwardness she was suddenly feeling? 

She blinked, and Andy blinked. "You...I mean..." he swallowed, his Adam's Apple bobbing in his throat. "I wasn't sure you'd...you really want to do that?" He looked, and sounded genuinely surprised. That actually kind of made her want him more. She knew he wasn't innocent, he'd been with stupid Ann for something like three years. And he'd been with other girls before that. But he _was_ innocent at the same time. 

"Yeah, I do, Andy." She nodded. "More than anything." She reached for his hand, sliding her fingers against his. The warmth of his palm sent a shiver up her spine.


	17. Spring 2011: Want You So Bad (Prompt: Can You Feel This?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moments after Movie Night, leading up to their first time :)
> 
> Additional Fictober18 prompt response will be [Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16168355)

She took his hand in hers, finding his palm huge and sweaty. She already knew he sweat a lot, and that was okay. He had a weird, musky, sweaty smell about Andy, but it was uniquely him and April didn't really mind it at all. Or maybe she was just so infatuated with him for whatever reason, that she didn't mind the weird things about him. 

She led him toward the bedroom. He followed like a loyal puppy, eager to please. She pushed the door open, he kicked it closed once they were inside. Follow through allowed her to back him but against the door, her body pressed to his. She raised up on tip toe to catch his mouth with hers, lips crashing together in a moment of unrestrained passion.

She held his hands in hers, and raised them level with his head, holding him against the door. He shifted his hips and she felt the subtle press of his erection against her thigh. "Can you feel that?" he asked, his voice thick and husky against her lips. 

She mewed softly. Releasing one of his hands, she let her hand drop down to press her palm against his crotch. He tilted his head back, eyes closed, and moaned. She redirected her kisses, trailing a line across his jaw, lips settling on that hollow spot just behind his ear. He gasped, and his hand fell to her shoulder, thick, sweaty fingers tangling in her hair.

"Want you so bad," he purred. She sucked his earlobe between her teeth. The pitched moans and whimpers were a delicious kind of reward, and spoke of things to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional Fictober18 prompt response will be [Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16168355)


	18. Fall 2030: A Surprise For April (Prompt: Breakfast)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wants to make breakfast for his mom the first morning she's come home from hospital after giving birth to Arlo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flufftober challenge Day One.

"Mama's gonna be so happy, isn't she, daddy?" Jack asked. He looked up at Andy, his eyes wide and reflecting hope. April had finally come home from the hospital, but baby Arlo was still there. He had to stay a little longer. Jack knew his mom was sad because of that, and he wanted to help her feel better. 

"She sure is, big guy," Andy grinned. Making pancakes for April her first morning back home was Jack's idea. Andy was overseeing the whole thing, but Jack was running the show. It was his idea, and he was in charge of measuring and mixing. Andy wouldn't step in until it was time to use the stove. He sat at the table, close enough to keep an eye on the boys without being right there with them.

Jack handed Ian the measuring cup full of Bisquick. He dumped it into the big mixing bowl with a little too much gusto, and the powder cloud poofed and rained powder down on the counter around the bowl. Ian jumped back with a giggle, but Jack scowled at him. "Ian! You gotta be careful! That's for mama! We gotta do it right!"

"But we gotta have fun too!" Ian protested. He pinched a bit of the spilled Bisquick in his hand and threw it at Jack. 

"Ian!" Jack yelled. He glowered at his brother, then suddenly reached into the bowl and grabbed a handful of the Bisquick, which he threw at Ian. Ian retaliated by grabbing a handful of the powder to throw at Jack. Both boys squealed as they threw handfuls of Bisquick at each other. Within a few seconds, the bowl was nearly empty and Ian made a grab for the box. He knocked it over, spilling Bisquick on the floor.

"Damn it, Ian!"

"Jack!" Andy scolded at the same moment Ian yelled for him. 

"Sorry dad," Jack picked up the box and looked in it. "But Ian dropped the box and now maybe we can't make pancakes for mama." 

"Maybe you shouldn't fool around when you're trying to cook," Andy said.

"Yeah!" Ian chimed in, agreeing with Andy. 

"You started it!" Jack said, glaring at Ian. 

"Hey, Jackie. let's measure the Bisquick together and make sure there's enough," Andy suggested. he got to his feet and picked up the measuring cup. "How many cups do we need?"

Jack turned the box over in his hands until he found the recipe for the basic pancakes. They were adding chocolate chips, but that wasn't part of the recipe on the box. Jack's brow furrowed for a moment as he read the instructions. "Three cups," he said after a minute. "Right?"

"You're reading it, you tell me," Andy smiled to encourage Jack to look again and double check. He knew Jack wanted to make the best pancakes ever, but he also knew April would love it no matter how good or bad they were.

"Three cups," he said again, and nodded for effect. 

Andy held the measuring cup out to Jack and he started to fill it with Bisquick. He dumped the first cup into the bowl, then filled it up again. He hesitated before dumping it, and instead held it out to his brother. "You wanna dump it, Ian?"

"Uh-huh." Ian took care this time, holding the measuring cup down lower to prevent the powder cloud. Andy sat back down, but sat facing them so he could watch as they prepared the batter. He couldn't help but grin at them. They'd had a little hiccup, but they had sorted it out and were working together now to make the world's best pancakes for their mom.

Andy stepped in when it was time to heat up the skillet, carefully monitoring the boys around the hot stove. When the pancakes were done, Andy helped Jack put them on a plate. He helped Ian pour a glass of orange juice. The boys put everything on a tray, but let Andy carry it up to the bedroom.

"Mama! Mama!" Jack and Ian ran into the master bedroom. April rolled over and smiled at them as they climbed onto the bed. "We maked you breakfast in bed!"

"You did, did you?" April sat up. She pushed her hair out of her face and smiled as the boys moved in against her sides. She patted them both and looked up at Andy. "This is a very special surprise, boys. Thank you." 

Andy carefully set the tray over April's legs. "They did it all themselves."

"I read the recipe all by myself!" Jack said.

"I helped mix and stir!"

April kissed the top of Ian's head, then Jack, then looked at Andy. He leaned in and kissed her lips, at the same time fumbling on the tray for the fork. He cut off a bite of the pancakes and held it out to her. She made a satisfied noise to show how delicious the pancakes were. "You just might have a future as a gourmet cook," she told Jack. 

"Me too!" Ian bounced a little, and his foot kicked the breakfast tray.

April caught the glass of orange juice before it toppled over. "You too, baby," she assured him. She looked up at Andy and smiled.


	19. Spring 3032: A Day To Play (Prompt: Flowers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Andy's playing ball with the older boys, April shares a sweet moment with four year old Lycan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flufftober Day 2: Flowers

At eight and a half months pregnant, April wasn't the most mobile. She sat in a chair Ron had made for her way back when she'd been pregnant with Jack. Watching Andy and the boys run around the yard, she wanted to join them but knew she couldn't. Or she _could_ but knew she shouldn't. She needed to take it easy, avoid stressing out the baby she carried. 

Andy, Jack, and Ian were tossing a football around. Two year old Max struggled to keep up, no doubt hoping they'd throw him the ball at some point. He ran as fast as his little legs would allow, with the puppy running along side him. 

Lycan and Arlo were on the porch with April, playing with toy trucks. 

April shook her head at the scene when Andy fumbled and fell down on the gorund. All three boys hollared and jumped on top of him. He kicked his legs up and caught the boys in the circle of his arms. April was pretty sure their giggles could be heard for miles around. 

"Dada!" Arlo held on to two of the columns that made up the porch railing, his little face pressed between them. 

April hauled herself up from the chair. "You wanna go see Dada?" she asked him. She unlatched the gate at the top of the stairs. She let Lycan go first, then made her way carefully d9wn the three steps to the ground before turning around to help Arlo navigate the steps. Holding his hand, she guided him over to his father and his brothers, letting go when they were within a few feet of the doggy pile of Dwyer boys, and he fell into the pile, wiggling between two of his brothers.

April frowned seeing that Lycan hadn't joined in. She shouldn't be surprised, he wasn't as rough and tumble as his brothers. He'd always been the more sensitive one. He was happier with crayons and paper than with a ball, and was often left out of the fun. 

She tracked him to the small flower garden the boys had planted for her in the spring. He stood just looking at the flowers, a look of wonder and awe on his little face. "Mama!" he exclaimed after a moment, turning to look for April. "Mama come look!"

Trusting that Andy could handle the other four, April made her way over to the garden, drawn by Lycan's excitement. "What is it, baby?"

"Mama! Look!" he gestured to a bee drinking nectar from a tulip. It wasn't something April would normally notice, but it brought such wonder and joy to her middle son that she couldn't help but smile too. April glanced over at Andy and the other boys, but then drew her focus back to Lycan when he gasped. She tracked his gaze to where a beautiful butterfly had landed on his arm. 

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and opened the camera app to capture the moment.


	20. 2012: The Perils Of All Day Meetings (Prompt: Are You Okay?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April gets out of a meeting to see she has several missed calls, voice mails, and texts from Andy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by anon on Tumblr.

She'd been in a meeting the better part of the day, unable to check her phone. She'd felt it vibrate several times, so once the meeting broke up, she was on her feet and heading outside so she could check the messages. 

She had seven missed calls from Andy, and one number she didn't recognise which was probably a telemarketer. There were three voice mails, and six texts. She decided to check the texts first, her eyes scanning over Andy's terrible typing. 

_call me_

_whre r u_

_aprl call mee_ She felt her heart drop, and lump formed in her throat. Andy's text typing was always short hand, and sometimes it didn't even make sense. But the tone April was reading in his words wasn't good. 

_babe_

_y arnt u ansering_

_babe i need u_ She didn't even bother listening to his voice messages. She hit the little phone icon to call him, pacing in the courtyard outside her office while she waited for him to pick up. Each ring felt like an eternity, and when he finally answered, he was clearly fumbling with the phone and it seemed to clatter to the floor. 

She wanted to scream at him through the phone, but she just chewed on her fingernails, which was not something she was normally prone to do. Being in love sucked. Especially when the one she cared about was a clumsy oaf like Andy who always seemed to be hurting himself. 

She heard him grunt, then a lot of static before he spoke into the phone. "Babe. I called you so many times."

"Andy!" She hissed. She really wasn't in the mood for him to play games with her. "Where are you?" 

"I'm at the hospital!" he told her, his voice pitched with an almost childlike glee. Like the hospital was the best place in the world to go. 

"Oh my god, Andy. What happened? Are you okay?" She headed back to her office, dodging someone coming out the door as she snaked around him to slip inside. He said something snarky to her, but she didn't even turn around. She was on a mission now, and nothing was going to stand between her and her husband.

"I broke my arm!" Andy said, his voice still sounding positive and upbeat. Like he was having the time of his life. If Ann was his nurse, he probably _was_ having the time of his life, April thought with a bitter sneer. If she tried to kiss Andy again, April was going to punch her right in the face. 

April grabbed her bag and hastily slung it on her shoulder. She scribbled a note saying Andy was at the hospital and she was going to check on him and stuck if to the receiver of her desk phone. Her bag fell off her shoulder, she jerked it back up and stormed out of the building with her phone still attached to her ear.

"Andy, what happened?"

"I was on my rollerblades and..." there was someone else talking in the background. April rolled her eyes when she realised it was Ann. And she was telling Andy to get off the phone. "Babe, I gotta go get an x-ray! How cool is that?"

"Goodbye, April. See you soon," Ann said.

April growled into the phone. "Tell stupid Ann to shut up," she said. "I'll be there in a few minutes." 

"Okay, babe."

"Now, Andy," Ann snapped.

"Love you," Andy said. 

The line went dead before April could respond. "Love you too," she muttered and slid the phone into her pocket.


	21. Spring 2032: Welcome To The World Harper Ludgate-Dwyer (Prompt: Birth)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April's in labor with baby number 6. Will they finally get the daughter they so desperately long for?

Now that she was actively in labor, April kind of wished they'd found out if it was another boy or the girl that would complete their family. They had never found out the sex beforehand, preferring to be surprised at the birth. April knew they would love another boy just as much as they loved the five they already had, but she really hoped this one was a girl. 

She felt like it was. She'd carried differently, for one thing. Her cravings had been different. She'd had more intense morning sickness than with any of the boys. The doctor told her to push as hard as she could, which meant they were about to find out one way of the other.

"Andy, do you want to come see?" Dr Feldstein looked over the blue sheet draped over April's legs. 

April looked up at her husband and nodded. He'd been right there for all the babies except Arlo. She sure as hell didn't want him to miss this one, especially if it was a girl, and especially if it was going to be their last one. Dr Feldstein had advised April not to have any more after Arlo, but she wasn't done yet. Not until she had a daughter.

Andy squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead. "Ew, babe. You're so sweaty." Andy wiped the back of his hand across his lips, but his eyes were dancing. He moved to the foot of the bed, standing right by the doctor who told April to give one more good push.

A moment later the head crowned, and with a little guidance from Dr Feldstein, the baby was fully delivered, and a shrill cry filled the room. April collapsed on the mattress with a grunt and a sigh. The doctor grinned and held the baby up so Andy could see its gender.

"Babe! Babe, we did it!" Andy all but danced back to the head of the bed. "We have a little girl!" He leaned in and kissed April's lips. She was almost too tired to reciprocate, but the fact they had a daughter, reiterated by the doctor giving his official announcement, gave her a little burst of energy. She reached up to stroke Andy's cheek.

She craned her neck to try to see the baby. The nurse was taking her measurements. Once the baby was cleaned up, the nurse wrapped her in a blanket and put a bonnet on her head. A moment later, she placed the mostly cleaned up baby in Andy's arms. Andy caressed the curve of her cheek with a single finger. Her entire head wasn't even as big as Andy's hand. 

"Welcome to the world, sweet girl." He beamed, smiling like a happy kid on Christmas morning. The baby's face was turned up toward the sound of Andy's voice. The awe that showed in his features made April smile. "This is your mama," he said, his voice soft but pitched with pure, raw excitement. "She's the best. But don't take my word for it. You can ask your brothers as soon as you meet them. They're gonna love you so much, I just know it. You have five big brothers, little one. Can you believe it? Your mama had five boys before you!"

April smiled up at him. He was a big, clumsy doofus most of the time, but April knew he would be super careful with his daughter in his arms. She'd never really worried about him being clumsy when he was holding any of the kids. Not that he could turn it on and off, but he tended to be far more cautious with a baby in his arms. And he was in her opinion the absolute best dad a kid could ever ask for.

"I love you so much, baby girl." Andy cooed. He glanced at April, she smiled and nodded and opened the front of her gown. "Your mama and I have waited a long time for you," Andy kissed the baby's cheek then lay her gently in April's waiting arms. 

"Hi sweetheart. You're so beautiful," April said. She shifted the baby's position, giving her a nudge toward the breast. "That's it. That's my sweet girl." April murmured as the baby sought to latch on.

"Does she have a name yet?" the nurse asked. She was standing nearby, ready to assist, but April was practically a pro. She'd been breastfeeding without a break since Jack was born eight and a half years earlier. 

Andy tore his focus away from the baby in his wife's arms. "I still like Harper," he said softly. They'd tossed several names around, most of them musical in some way, and built in family names around it. She'd promised herself a long time ago that she would give her kids multiple names. She wasn't going to stop now. It was kind of a Ludgate-Dwyer tradition at this point.

April nodded. "Josephine Campbell Harper Rita Raven Marie Ludgate-Dwyer. And we'll call her Harper." Raven hadn't been discussed prior, but April slipped it in. Because she liked ravens, and Andy wasn't going to tell her no. 

Andy ghosted a finger over his little girl's arm and let her catch it in her tiny palm. His other hand clasped April's hand. "Welcome to the world, Harper Ludgate-Dwyer," he said with what April would later describe as the biggest smile she'd ever seen.


	22. Winter 3032: You've Got To Be Kidding Me (Prompt: Key)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ludgate-Dwyers are taking a road trip back to Pawnee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flufftober Day 4 "Key" (Which really isn't prevalent, but that was the spring board.)

Flying with six kids wasn't practical, which left them little option but to drive. They hadn't been back to Pawnee for a couple years, not since Lycan was a baby. They'd doubled their numbers since then, and April wondered if they had finally lost their minds this time. They had to be insane for taking a road trip with six kids under the age of ten. 

Jack had just turned nine on Halloween. The others ranged from seven years to seven months. April thought she wanted to go home for Harper's first Christmas. Now she was seriously questioning that decision, and thinking it would have been a lot smarter and more practical to do this road trip in the summer, when they didn't have bulky winter coats and sweaters to deal with. 

But it was too late now. They were scheduled to be on the road already, but who could blame them for being late? Getting all the boys to use the bathroom, and wash their hands was a half hour ordeal, at best. More like 45 minutes really. But once everyone was washed up, Andy started strapping the younger boys into car seats while she fed and changed Harper one last time. 

"I think we're ready," She announced as she emerged from the house. Andy was standing beside the open driver's door of the car, all five boys settled in their seats. April cocked her head at him as she made her way to the van. "Andy, what's wrong?"

He patted his hands down the front of his sweater. He didn't often wear more than a sweatshirt or windbreaker, because even when there was three feet of snow on the ground, he produced enough body heat that he sweat. "Babe, I hate to tell you this, but I can't find the key fob," he told her.

April glowered at him. "You've got to be kidding me." The van was running, so she knew it was nearby, or the engine would have shut off. "Did you check all your pockets?" Harper giggled and threw her pacifer down, but since it was on a leash clipped to her coat, it only went as far as April's knee before bouncing back up. 

Andy nodded. "I've looked everywhere, babe." He looked completely dejected, and maybe a little concerned April was going to be super mad at him. Because of course she would be. 

"Daddy!" Jack yelled from the back seat where he and Ian were situated on either side of Lycan's booster seat. Ian was on the passenger side, and knocked on the window to try and get April's attention. 

"What is it, Jack?" April leaned in, careful that she didn't hit her head, or Harper's on the doorframe. 

Jack held up the fob. "Daddy gave it to me and said hold onto it so it doesn't get lost." 

"Of course he did." She grinned at her oldest son. "Sometimes your daddy is very smart." She swung Harper off her hip and into her seat beside Max. She put a hand out for the fob and smiled at Jack when he handed it to her. 

Stepping back once Harper was belted in, she looked over the van full of kids, right down to the big one in the driver's seat, and she wondered what she'd ever done to deserve such a beautiful, amazing family. She closed the side door and climbed into her seat beside Andy and reached over to give his hand a squeeze.

He grinned at her and leaned over to kiss her before he backed out of the garage. April hit the button on her visor to shut the garage door, and they were officially off. The drive to Pawnee was roughly 500 miles. April figured it would take them all day, because they'd have to stop often, and she really had to question her own sanity for deciding to do this. 

"It's gonna be so great to see everyone," Andy said, as if he could read her mind and knew she was having serious second thoughts. "I can't wait for Ron to meet Harper."

April turned in her seat to look back at the youngest Ludgate-Dwyer. "He's gonna love her so much," she said. She reached back to tickle the baby, and Harper's giggle filled the car. April's smile was as much for her kids as for her husband. Andy really was the best. She knew it without question, but she loved when he reminded her even without meaning to.


	23. February 2030: Jack's Special Valentine (Prompt: Gift)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flufftober Day 6. Jack makes a gift for his special valentine.

Music class was Jack's favorite time of day, but he also liked art. And especially since the next day was Valentine's, he wanted to make a special gift for his special Valentine. He chose a white canvas, and painted a heart in the middle. His untrained eye could tell it was lopsided, and not quite perfectly centered, so he added another half loop on one side. 

By the time he was done trying to perfect the heart, most of his work space was red. It would have to do. He was pretty sure the person it was for was going to love it. He blew on it and waved his hand over it to try and help the paint dry faster. 

"Looks great, Jack," the art teacher praised him, and he beamed. He had been worried it wasn't good enough, but now he thought maybe it was. He glanced at the kids next to him, and decided that his was definitely the best. 

He reached for a black marker, and wrote the words 'Happy Valentines Day' around the heart in his best, most careful handwriting. 

Three hours later when he got home, he put the painting and the handmade card he'd drawn to go with it in his room. He hid it under his bed where his mom wouldn't find it. 

Jack almost couldn't sleep. he was so excited to give his special valentine her gift. He really wanted to give it to her early, but he managed to resist. When morning finally came, and his mom woke him up, he thought of it immediately.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, baby?" Jack was the oldest, but April told him all the time he would always be her baby. He was special because he was the first. They were all special, of course, for so many reasons, but Jack was her first born.

He dropped to the floor and pulled the card and the painting out from under his bed. "Happy Valentine's Day."

April noticed the heart was lopsided, and fatter on one side than it was on the other. And there were places there was a deeper streak of paint from multiple brush strokes. And the words were awkward, Happy was spelled with one P and a backwards Y, and Valentines was broken up with VALE on one side of the heart, and the other side actually said TIMES, but to her it was perfect. 

"Oh, Jack. Did you make this for me? It's the most perfect Valentine's gift ever." She held her arms out for him to come to her, and she pulled him into a tight hug. She kissed his temple. "Thank you, Jack. I love it, and I'm going to take it to work and put it on my desk." 

Jack couldn't stop grinning all day at school. He absolutely loved Kindergarten.


	24. Fall 2028: You Can't Learn To Ride A Bike Without A Busted Lip (Prompt: Hurt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy's teaching Jack how to ride his bike without training wheels. Requested by Lunabelle!

In the yard with Ian and Lycan, April was watching Andy teaching Jack how to ride his bike without the training wheels. She was a nervous wreck about it, but Andy promised her it would be fine. Jack was ready. She hoped he wasn't wrong.

"Look, mama!" Ian called to her, pulling her attention away from her husband and oldest son out in the street. Lycan was on hands and knees moving toward the street. April felt her heart jump to her throat. She'd been so caught up in watching Jack that she'd forgotten to watch Ian and Lycan.

She lurched forward, grabbing the toddler and lifting him up over her head to make him giggle so he couldn't know she was upset. Upset wasn't even the right word. He hadn't made it to the street. And even if he had, Andy was out there. 

She bent her arms, bringing Lycan down to her face so she could blow raspberries at him. His giggles were infectious, and she couldn't help but smile. Just about the only thing that cut through the sound of Lycan's laughter was Jack's scream. 

April lowered Lycan to her hip, her focus scanning the area for Andy and Jack. She saw the bike in the road first, abandoned with the wheel slowly spinning. Jack was in Andy's arms, and he was rushing to the yard. For a split second, April only saw red and thought Jack was bleeding from head to tow.

"I think he bit his lip," Andy said. He rushed past April, up the porch steps and into the house. April yelled for Ian to come on as she followed Andy with Lycan bouncing on her hip. She put him in his playpen, and told Ian to stay with his brother. Andy had Jack in the kitchen, sitting on the counter by the sink. 

"It hurts!" Jack cried when Andy put a washcloth to his mouth. He wasn't bleeding nearly as much as April had imagined, but there was a lot of blood. It was all down the front of his shirt and Andy's too, and still flowing from his split lip. 

"Oh my god, Andy." April wanted to shove Andy out of the way so she could get to her boy. But she also knew it was important for Andy to be the one to clean him up and tend to his wounds because Andy had been the one out there with him. 

One hand held the washcloth to Jack's face. His other hand groped for April's hand, to give her a firm squeeze. "He's fine, babe. You can't learn to ride a bike without busting your lip," Andy told her.

April cut her eyes at him. But she had to admit he was the best at damage control. He had been hurt so many times, he knew when something was worth getting worked up over, and stayed calm when it wasn't worth it. April tended to over react. 

Which was probably why Andy was telling her to leave the room. "Go check on Ian and Lycan. We got this, right Jackie?"

Jack nodded and mumbled 'Uh huh'. 

Andy gave her hand another squeeze before letting go. She didn't want to leave, even though she was just going in the other room. It was hard to walk away from her son when he was hurt when everything in her was saying she needed to wrap him up in her arms and hold him to her chest. 

But she also knew she needed to walk away, calm down, and trust Andy to handle it.


	25. Spring 2035: I'll Make It Up To You (Prompt: Caught In The Act) Slightly NSFW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Andy try to be spontaneous.

"Do you remember before we had kids?" April tilted her head, looking intently at Andy. They were on the sofa, some version of a Dracula movie playing on the TV. The kids were all in bed, and Andy was rubbing her feet while she played with the hem on the sleeve of his T-shirt.

Andy frowned at the question. Of course he remembered. He wanted kids, she wasn't so sure. She fought the whole thing until she had Jack. And now they had a house full of children, and Andy couldn't imagine their lives without each and every one of them. He opened his mouth to reply, but April continued before he could say the first word.

"Do you ever regret having so many?" April felt Andy's posture stiffen. "The only time I regret is when I want to be spontaneous and make out with you on the couch," she continued quickly to try and talk him through his initial response. She also sort of regretted so many when they all seemed to be pulling her in different directions, but she also kind of loved it. Because she loved all of them, and she didn't regret a single one. 

Jack seemed to be a perfect mix of them both. He loved to throw a ball around, but he also didn't like to be the center of attention. Ian's personality was more in line with April, but he resembled Andy. He was quiet, and broodier than his siblings. Lycan was a lot like Andy. He was kind and sweet, sometimes clueless, and generally always happy and giggling. Flowers and butterflies were his absolute favorite things in the whole world. If any of the kids was inclined to a career in sports, it would be Max. He was still too young to say, but Andy had a feeling he was going to be a ballplayer. Arlo was the smallest, likely due to being born nearly two months early. He was the watcher, the observer. Then there was Harper, the one and only girl. She was a feisty one, and her personality came out strong and sure. 

"Oh. I thought..." Andy managed to get out a couple words before April shifted onto his lap. Her hands braced against his shoulders, and her mouth crashed against his with a groan and a sort of hungry desperation. Andy responded by sliding his hands up and along her sides, eyes closed to block and filter out all sensations except April in his lap and against his lips. 

April wasn't sure when her mind lost hyperawareness of the kids. She started out with an ear to the ground, so to speak, listening for any sounds of movement upstairs. By the time shirts and her bra were tossed away in a frenzy of groping, pawing hands, she wasn't even thinking about the kids anymore. Her mind had a tendency to forget everything else when she and Andy were going at each other, and normally she wouldn't ever apologise for that. 

There were very few things that could call her attention away from Andy's hands, lips, or erection. Earthquake, tornado, fire...and a small, tentative and maybe frightened voice saying 'Mommy' with the pitch and lilt of a question. 

April slid off Andy's lap. She wasn't sure where her shirt had ended up, but Andy's T-shirt was right there by her feet. She grabbed it and pulled it over her head. It was entirely too big for her, but she didn't care about that. "Hey, sweet boy. What are you doing up?" 

It really wasn't all that unusual for at least one of the kids to wander downstairs after they'd gone to bed. More often than not, it was Arlo. He had nightmares from time to time, considerably more frequently than his siblings. They generally didn't ask him if he'd had a nightmare, but let him tell them on his own, in his own time, in his own way.

He stood where he was, closer to Andy than April, but hovering several feet from the couch. He held his favorite stuffed animal, a blue and green dragon that watched over him while he slept. Despite Andy's best efforts to enchant the little guy to keep Arlo's nightmares away, it didn't seem to work. 

Arlo looked at them both, dark eyes darting between them. "Come here, baby." April put her hands out toward him. "Daddy'll get you a glass of water." Andy was already getting to his feet. April noticed that she couldn't detect an erection at the front of his shorts. No doubt the interruption had ruined his boner. Not that it mattered. Arlo was priority now. Hopefully Andy would be able to recover by the time they got their youngest son back in bed.

And even if he didn't, well. Arlo was more important than sexy funtimes. 

The four-year-old climbed onto the couch beside his mother. He settled against her side, with ehr arm draped over and around his shoulder. Thumb in his mouth, he sighed softly. She would never say she was glad Arlo didn't talk much, but she was sort of grateful he didn't ask what Andy and April were doing when he came into the room. She had no idea how to answer that question in a way he would understand. Thankfully none of the boys had asked about sex, or anything really even related to sex yet. 

April wasn't sure how they were going to handle that. She did know she wouldn't expect Andy to deal with it on his own even though the boys were obviously going to get there before their sister. 

April ran her fingers through Arlo's hair. The little guy was sound asleep by the time Andy came back with the water. He set the cup down and sat down on the couch beside Arlo, so that he was cradled between them. 

"I see what you mean," Andy whispered. "But I still wouldn't trade them for anything." 

"Me either," April pressed forward, mindful of Arlo between them, and kissed her husband softly.


	26. Spring 2030 (Prompt: Camping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Andy take Jack, Ian, Lycan, and Max camping.

Andy had enjoyed camping in his youth, and that was something he wanted to share with his boys. He knew April wasn't exactly into roughing it in a tent, in the middle of nowhere, but she'd tolerated it with him, and for him numerous times before they'd started having kids. 

He hadn't suggested it for a couple years. But Jack was six now, Ian was four, and Andy felt they were at a great age for their first camping trip. Lycan and baby Max were a little young for it, but it was important to Andy that they all go as a family. He quieted April's concerns about being away from civilisation by reminding her they had cell phones. They also had a cooler that plugged into the car, and a mini grill for cooking. 

Watching the boys was a full time job, and April had them corralled within a certain boundary so she could keep an eye on them while watching Andy set up the tent. Andy set out to put up the tent with Jack's help, which April knew wasn't really helpful, but there was no way Andy was going to tell him he couldn't help. They set to work and even with a seven year old assistant and years of years of experience, his efforts to erect the tent were almost worthy of a circus side show perforfomance. He tripped over his own feet, at one point got tangled up in the tent itself, and Jack had to help him get free.

All the while, April watched him, admiring the strain of his muscles against his clothes. Sometimes she missed the chubbier Andy she'd married, but she definitely had no complaints about the firmer, more fit body he was sporting now. She appreciated the effort he'd put into getting healthier, especially now that they had a house full of rambunctious boys. 

She marveled at the fact he had managed not to hammer a tent pole through his foot, and grinned at him when he turned to her, deliriously proud of the fact he'd put the family sized tent up with only Jack's help. "I love it when you sweat, babe," April said rolling her eyes, as Andy leaned down to kiss her.

"Ewww, Daddy's stinky," Ian said. 

Andy made a show of sniffing his armpit. "Nah, it's not too bad. Wanna smell?" He moved toward Ian with his arm raised over his head, armpit exposed. Ian screamed and ran away from him. April just shook her head and laughed as Jack joined in, and Andy scooped Max up in his arms as he dropped and rolled onto the ground so Jack and Ian could dog pile him, all of them laughing and screaming with delight.

Lycan moved to stand pressed against April's legs. He didn't enjoy horseplay as much as the others, but preferred to stay close to April when Andy and the other boys were rolling around on the ground. April absently pulled him into her lap, and he patted her chest with a little hand. At two and a half, he hadn't entirely given up breastfeeding. He didn't _need_ it, but the doctor assured her there was no harm in it. As long as she was comfortable, the assumption was that he would stop when he was ready. 

"Okay, baby," she shifted, lifting her shirt for him. They were in a fairly secluded spot, and even if someone wandered to their little campsite, she wasn't ashamed or embarrassed by breastfeeding her child, even if she felt it was more that he wanted the closeness to her than he wanted the milk. Lycan was her sensitive boy, and she didn't want to discourage him or think there was anything wrong with not being interested in sports and rough housing like his brothers. He was perfect just the way he was. 

They all were. Jack was the oldest, and tended to mother hen his brothers, Ian had a slightly more rebellious streak, Lycan was her mama's boy, Max was more rough and tumble, even though he was the smallest. He was mighty and fierce, and Andy called him 'boy April' sometimes. They all four had such distinct personalities and April wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything. For someone who resisted having babies for as long as she did, once she started having them she embraced motherhood because it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. 

The fact she had a troupe of little Andy's didn't hurt. The world needed more men like Andy Dwyer, she reasoned, and she was happy to provide. The trick would be making sure they grew up to be good, honest, compassionate men. She didn't doubt that they would. They were already well on the way. 

"Jack! You always gets to go first. I wanna be first!" Ian yelled. April glanced over at them. Andy was on his knees, with Max in his arms while the other two fought over who would get the first piggy back ride. They were good kids, but they were boys, and they were brothers. They argued from time to time. April understood that to be normal, healthy even. As long as no one started throwing punches, she figured it was all right. 

"I'm the oldest!" Jack countered. "So I get to go first." 

"Daddy!" Ian objected. 

"Hey, Jackie. How about we let Ian have the first piggy ride this time, and after that you and me can go fishing at the river."

"Just you and me?" Jack asked, almost as if he didn't believe it.

Andy nodded. April caressed the crown of Lycan's head. 

"I wanna go fishings too!"

"Well, you get to go piggy back first, Ian," Jack said. "So I get to go fishing with daddy." 

"Okay." Ian wrapped his arms around Andy's neck. He made sure Ian was holding on tight, and with Max still in his arms, he lurched to his feet and started running around the campsite like some kind of crazed madman with three heads.

Jack slumped his way over to April and sat down next to her. She leaned into his shoulder. "You're gonna have so much fun fishing with your dad." 

"I know," Jack murmured. She almost could hear him over his brother's giggles. She glanced up at Andy zigzagging all over the place. She always worried that he would fall and land on the boys, and someone would get hurt. He never did, though. When he fell, it was controlled so the boys enjoyed it. 

"Then what's wrong?"

"Does it hurt the fish?"

April ruffled Jack's hair. "No, baby. They think it's a grand adventure. When they get caught on the line, and they get pulled out of the water, they get to see a part of the world most fish don't get to see. And then when you throw them back in, they tell their friends all about it." A little lie wasn't going to hurt anyone. She was just going to have to make sure Andy knew he had to throw the fish back if they caught any. Someday Jack would learn the truth, but it didn't have to be today. 

"Okay." He sighed as Andy dropped to his knees and shifted so that Ian slid off his back in the grass.


	27. I'm Going Home (Prompt: Going Home)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy's experiencing a mix of emotions when it's time to go home.

"Don't be glum, big guy," Lord Edgar Covington sat down beside Andy on the sofa in his office. The skies outside the windows were dark, the ground below soaked by an all day rain. The weather wasn't the cause, but was an appropriate expression of Andy's mood. 

On the one hand, he was thrilled to be going home. On the other hand, he was sad because he was leaving London once and for all. "What if I never come back?"

"Then I'll come see you," Eddie assured him. The two had become the best of friends over the last few months. They spent more time flying Eddie's remote control helicopters in the courtyard than they spent working, as long as the weather cooperated. When rain kept them inside, they built intricate sculptures with Legos or played hide and seek in the castle. 

Andy's eyes brightened. "Will you?"

"You know it," Eddie said. "Not turn that frown upside down, Mister, and let's get you on a plane and home to your wife." 

"I do miss her," Andy nodded. April was the love of his life. He talked to her every night on the computer, but he'd only seen her twice in the past three months, and he had a lot of missed time to make up for. He wanted to go home. he really, really, really wanted to see April. He wanted to touch her and caress her and make love to her all night and all day. But he also wanted to stay in London with Eddie. 

Eddie patted Andy on the back. "Of course you do." He smiled a warm, supportive smile.

Andy couldn't help but grin right back at him. "I'm going home!" He jumped up to his feet, hand shooting out from his side and colliding with the lampshade, knocking a very expensive lamp onto its side in the process. The ridiculousness of it made Eddie laugh, even as Andy tried to set the lamp back because he set it on the cord with big, uncoordinated hands, it fell over again. 

"Leave it," Eddie said. By some miracle the lamp wasn't broken yet. Allowing Andy to try and set it upright again seemed like tempting fate. He stood, and put an arm over Andy's shoulder in an attempt to distract him from the lamp. He and Andy were both very tactile people. The more physical contact the better. 

"I'm super bummed we can't go outside and fly the helicopters one more time," Andy said. "That's my super most favorite thing to do."

"Let's fly them inside!" Eddie suggested. It wasn't the same, of course not. But Andy was leaving in less than an hour, and it would be a shame to let the rain keep him from flying the helicopters he enjoyed so much, one last time. 

"You're so smart!" Andy grinned. He raced across the room to grab the controllers. For the moment, he wasn't thinking about April or how much he missed her. He was thinking about Eddie and how much he was going to miss his friend. "I'm gonna miss you so much." 

"I'm going to miss you too, Andy," Eddie said. "But we'll both have new adventures." His accent made the statement sound official and binding. Like there was no other choice. 

Andy handed Eddie one of the controllers and activated the one he held, causing a helicopter to lift off the shelf where they sat dormant and waiting. Within the first minute or so of flying, Andy flew his copter right into a window. Eddie's hit the wall when he let his focus waver to look over at Andy. With both helicopters out of commission, Eddie and Andy threw their controllers on the desk and burst into fits of laughter.

Twenty minutes later when Andy had to gather his things and head down to the car that would take him to the airport, the room was in shambles, but Eddie didn't care. Andy had laughed and had fun, and that was what mattered. That was the memory he was going home with. That was the memory he was leaving Eddie with, and the broken, nonfunctional copters and the knocked over lap and a spilled glass of water were all physical reminders of their time together. 

Once Andy was gone, Eddie sat down at his desk. He was going to miss Andy more than he cared to admit, but he was happy for his friend. He was going home.


	28. Nov. 1, 2030: Utterly Ridiculous (Prompt: Brain Freeze)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April, Andy, and Jack are celebrating Jack's birthday with ice cream. What could possibly go wrong? Short fluff headcanon.

Jack's birthday landed on Halloween, which April thought was pretty awesome. She'd given birth to her first child wearing zombie make up, which he thought was pretty awesome once he was old enough to appreciate it. But since his birthday was a holiday, and Halloween was April's favorite holiday, they usually celebrated the weekend before or the weekend after so that he had a special day for himself. His brothers spent the day with Auntie Leslie and Uncle Ben, so that the birthday boy would have quality time with his parents. 

He'd chosen pizza for dinner and ice cream after. Andy had eaten an entire pizza all by himself, and now he was going to have ice cream. April groaned, because she knew all that dairy was going to upset his stomach. She might have to make him sleep on the couch. She probably wouldn't, but she was so not looking forward to the effects of cheese and ice cream on his system. 

"This is the best birthday ever," Jack declared once they were seated at a table in the ice cream parlor. April shivered from the chill in the air. Andy, of course, wasn't wearing a jacket, and Jack had slid his off the moment he'd sat down. He took after his dad, but April made him wear a coat anyway, because it was the first of November, and it was cold outside. 

"I'm glad you think so, Jackie," Andy said. "I think you're right. This is pretty awesomesauce." That word still, even after all these years, hit a nerve in April. It had been Andy's response the first time she said she loved him. She'd been so annoyed with him that day, and she'd very nearly ended things with him. If she had, she wouldn't have Jack or Ian or Lycan, or Max, or the greatest husband-slash-father in the whole world to help her raise her kids. Hell, if she hadn't stayed with him, she might not have had kids at all. That had been her plan, after all, until Jack came into their lives and changed her point of view.

She watched as Jack offered Andy a bite of his ice cream, then proceeded to steal a spoonful out of Andy's dish. Andy pretended to pout, which had Jack laughing hysterically. April side eyed the two of them, but she really didn't mind. She loved the sound of Jack's laughter. 

"I bet I can eat my ice cream faster than you!" Jack challenged his dad. April knew that was going to be a recipe for disaster, but she wasn't going to object. The boys dug into their ice cream once Jack counted down from three. Within seconds, they were both howling from the searing pain of twin brain freezes. April just shook her head at them, and ignored the stares from other customers in the shop.

"Ow, ow, it hurrrrrts," Jack moaned. Andy bit his lip and slapped his hand on the table. Jack mimicked him. He looked and acted a lot like April, but he often tried to follow his dad's lead. 

"You two are ridiculous," April scoffed. 

Andy just grinned at her, and took another bite of his ice cream as if to make a point. April rolled her eyes at him, then leaned in to kiss him. He was a giant goofball, but he was her giant goofball, and she loved him even when he was being utterly ridiculous.


	29. Spring 2032: She Wouldn't Trade A Single One Of Them For Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I took a bit of a hiatus, but I'm back. This installment if the DrabbleMania series was inspired by a "I wish you would write..." request. Someone requested I write about the boys gushing over their little sister. This is a little peek at that. Enjoy! 
> 
> I am still taking requests, if there's a word or prompt you'd like to see me write. (My master list is [Here.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qhB3Ar1JDpD5JYfSp-bE7XBPwwfCv6Bq43dsdlePzrw/edit#gid=0)). You can make requests here at on [Tumblr](http://ceruleanoctober.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> It's been a while since I posted, so it bears mentioning I appreciate each and every one of you who takes the time to read my stuff. Thank you, sincerely.

"Don't move," Andy said. He all but jumped out of the car and rushed around to the passenger side to open her door for her. She rolled her eyes at him, but she was also smiling. She felt it pulling her face, and she thought she probably looked deranged. Even if she did, he wouldn't care. 

He offered a hand to help her out of the car, and was met with another roll of her eyes. She wasn't an invalid, she'd had a baby, and her sixth one at that. It wasn't like it was new and unfamiliar territory. No, the only thing new and unfamiliar about it was that the tiny infant they were bringing home this time was a little girl. 

April could already sense the excitement in the house. The boys had only been to the hospital once to meet their little sister. But now she was home, and April knew they were going to be the best big brothers a little girl could ask for. 

Andy leaned in to get the car seat out of the back. Harper stirred, her tiny little arms stretching as she yawned and slumped right back into sleep. "She's definitely your child," April said. Andy had that same ability to stir but not wake, and just slip right back into sleep. Not April. If she stirred, she woke, and going back to sleep wasn't usually in the cards for her. 

"Mommy!" A chorus of voices rang out as the front door opened and the oldest of the Ludgate-Dwyer boys toppled out. Andy reminded them to be careful as Jack and Ian took off running toward their mom. Max tumbled after them, though Lycan stood inside the house, and Arlo was hitched on Sonya Wyatt's hip. Jack and Ian chattered away at April, and Andy by passed them to head inside with the baby. 

He reached down to tussle Lycan's hair and followed through to do the same to Arlo. He was infintely thankful Harper's birth hadn't been as traumatic as Arlo's had been just a year earlier. He'd been born two months early, following April's tumble down the stairs. There had been a lot of apprehension around April's pregnancy with Harper, but she'd gotten through it with minimal drama, and now they had a beautiful little girl to show for it. 

April was just managing to get inside the door with Jack and Ian and Max crowded around her when Lycan leaned against his father's legs. Lycan was the quiet one, the sensitive one. He didn't say much, he rarely had to. His brothers were usually making more than enough noise. 

Andy gently pulled Lycan up to his lap, so he could see the baby. He let out a soft giggle and leaned forward to try and get a better look at her. 

"I wanna see the baby!" Ian announced. He broke away from April to rush to the sofa. Jack followed close on his heels, and Max tried, but he couldn't move as fast as his bigger brothers yet and ended up hitting the floor with a thud. April started to bend down to pick him up, but Leslie was there and chiding her for it at the same time she snatched Max up off the floor. 

April gave her a grateful smile, and sat down in the nearest chair. "Boys, give your sister some space."

Too many little hands were pawing at the infant seat. April trusted Andy would keep Harper safe from her brother's excitement, but she worried all the same that Jack and Ian were going to pull her, seat and all, to the floor. As if he read her mind, Andy shifted the seat a little further back on the couch.

This wasn't his first baby, after all, though with each passing day it was harder to imagine Jack or Ian or even Lycan and Max had ever been so tiny. April smiled at the scene in front of her, the boys clamoring for a good look, not quite pushing, though there might have been a little shoving going on. Jack and Ian had a bit of a rivalry between them, though so far it had been mostly harmless. 

Harper let loose with a sudden wail, making everyone jump. Lycan turned his face into Andy's shirt. "I think her wants to get down and play with us," Ian said.

"She's a baby, dummy. She's too little to play," Jack retorted. 

"Mommy! Jack called me dummy!"

"Then don't say dumb things!" Jack protested. April and Andy both gave him a look. He sighed. "Sorry." He glanced at Ian, then turned his attention back to the baby. He reached up to catch Harper's tiny hand, and her little fingers wrapped around his. His eyes went wide, he looked at Andy and then over his shoulder at April. "I bet she knows I'm her biggest big brother," he said. 

"I bet she does," Andy agreed and ruffled Jack's hair.

Jack just stared at the baby for a moment, until Ian tried to push him out of the way. He held his ground, Harper still holding his finger in her hand. "Can I hold her? I'll be real careful."

"Me too!" Ian chimed in.

"You can both hold her after you go wash up," Andy said. He glanced over at April who just smiled back at him. This was her life, her crazy, non stop energy and action, never a dull moment family and she wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything.


End file.
